MINING GEOLOGY

GROUNDWATER AND MINING

Jac Genis
October 2006
 GROUNDWATER

•Water in the pore spaces of the rocks or soil

•POROSITY – percentage of the total volume

that is pore spaces. Depends on:
- grain size
- packing
- amount of cement
Influence of packing
- degree of fracturing

Influence of grain size

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 Permeability

Capacity of a rock for transmitting water

(allowing water to flow through it)

AQUIFER: porous, permeable formation.

AQUICLUDE: impermeable formation. Does not allow water through

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 Ice wedging

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 Ice wedging causes disintegration

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 Water table

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 Springs

Spring – when ground water flows out

on surface

stratum spring
valley spring
fault spring
artesian spring

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 springs

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 Sinkholes from decomposition of carbonate
rocks.

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 Sinkhole formation

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 The surface effect!

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 Water in open pit mining
“working in a drain”

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 Groundwater in open pit mining

• Makes work difficult – vehicles lose traction

• Additional costs for pumping
• SAFETY – reduces shear strength of discontinuities
leading to increased potential of slope failure.

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 Water effects slope stability

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 “Mudslide” – circular failure

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 Groundwater in underground mining

• Hazardous from safety point of view

• Frequently brings dissolved, flammable gas into mine
• Reduces metal recovery (lower MCF)
• Damage to infrastructure such as tracks
• Additional costs for pumping and disposal.

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 “COVER DRILLING”

•Boreholes drilled ahead along

line of proposed development to
check for hazards such as water

•Can be drilled by percussion or

diamond drilling.

•Get water under control so can

do something about it !

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 Uncontrolled water in-rush

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 Need to get water under control

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 Cementation

•When water is “under control”

can pump cement mixture into
hole to seal fissures and stop
water inflow.

•Or water can be allowed to

drain until it “runs out”

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 When things go wrong

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 Water in stopes = gold losses.

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