257 / 2023-09-30 16:48:09

Monitoring of Ground Deformation around Dexing Copper Mine Tailing Pond Dam Based on SBAS-InSAR

SBAS-InSAR; tailing pond; Sentinel-1; ground deformation

The mine tailings pond stands as a crucial infrastructure within the mining industry, serving the purpose of storing the by-products and waste residues generated throughout the beneficiation process. However, the tailings pond can introduce inherent risks. In the event of a dam breach, the potential consequences pose a significant threat to the lives and property of the nearby residents. Consequently, the imperative arises for vigilant monitoring and comprehensive evaluation of the stability and deformation dynamics inherent in the tailings pond. Amidst the ever-evolving landscape of technology, the continuous progression of InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology marks a significant stride in Earth observation. This cutting-edge technology allows for the temporal analysis of ground deformations with unprecedented precision. As InSAR technology matures, its application in monitoring and assessing the stability of structures such as tailings ponds becomes increasingly pertinent.

In this study, the No.4 tailings pond of Dexing Copper Mine in Dexing City, Jiangxi Province was taken as the research object and based on 27 Sentinel-1A ascending orbit images and Small Baselines Subset InSAR (SBAS-InSAR) technology, the deformation data of the dam body of the tailings pond from September 2022 to March 2023 were obtained. The results show that the dam body of No. 4 tailing pond of Dexing Copper Mine had different degrees of uplift and subsidence. The cumulative maximum subsidence

value of the dam body reached -85.29mm and the cumulative maximum uplift value was 19.90mm. The initial dam of No. 4 tailing pond reached uplifting, the top and middle of the deposit dam are subsiding, and two obvious subsidence areas were formed at the top of the dam, with the maximum subsidence rate of -170.59mm/year and the maximum uplift rate of 39.81mm/year. This study shows that SBAS-InSAR technology can monitor tailings ponds as a whole, and the research results can provide important technical and data support for the stability assessment and wide area survey of tailings ponds. By understanding the deformation of the tailings pond, the stability of the tailings pond can be better assessed, and timely measures can be taken to reduce potential risks. At the same time, it can provide important theoretical basis for relevant decision-making departments to ensure the safe and stable operation of the tailings pond. In the subsequent research, optical image data can be incorporated to facilitate the detection of two-dimensional alterations in the mine tailings  pond, which can help to achieve comprehensive three-dimensional change detection.