RIZZO engineers and scientists have decades of experience providing engineering, design, and construction oversight services to the mining industry, particularly in South America.  Our client list includes some of the largest global mining firms operating around the world.  We service the mining industry through a particular emphasis on geotechnical, geophysical, hydrogeological, environmental, and seismic analyses and studies.  Our projects in the mining industry have included underground mining and tunnels, open pit mining, and tailings dams.

A large majority of these projects are in remote and previously untouched regions and are therefore extremely environmentally sensitive areas.  Working with the mining firms, RIZZO provides Environmental Impact Assessments to help ensure the preservation of the areas’ biodiversity or biological diversity.

Surveys of the local flora and fauna allow for biological monitoring of the area that could potentially be affected by the ore deposits.  The survey results determine the impact of pollutants over live elements and the number of pollutants with which organisms interact.

Through hydrological, hydrogeological, and geophysical characterization studies, RIZZO engineers and scientists are also able to determine the optimal management of water resources, which is required for production operations and community activities.  Simulating hydrological behavior allows the identification of eventual contaminant migration, determines contaminant concentration, establishes response times available for mitigation measures, and defines environmental impacts.

For a complete listing of our mining projects, click here.

I. Underground/Tunneling

Underground mining produces waste materials which have the potential to be detrimental to the surrounding area.  An increase in environmental concerns has led to stronger regulations created to alleviate the potential harmful impacts of mining on the environment and its inhabitants. Environmental studies and water resource planning are key components to preventing negative impacts that could occur as a result of underground mining.  RIZZO works with mining companies to assess the natural environment and ensure the proper steps have been taken to protect the surrounding area from subsidence.

II. Open Pits

Global mining companies utilize open pit mining when minerals and ores exist near the surface of the earth and the overlying material is relatively thin or unsuitable for tunneling.  The overlying waste material is relocated, allowing for the minerals and ore to be accessed, processed, and transported.

In most cases, a series of crushers and conveyor systems are used to separate the minerals and ores and to relocate the excess earthen materials. As the mining progresses, the crushing equipment may need to be relocated to a site where excavated waste materials were disposed in order to be closer to current mining activity.  RIZZO engineers and scientists conduct geotechnical and geological investigations and slope stability analyses of the waste material to ensure the stability of the crushing machinery foundation.

Our firm also has extensive experience with leach pad designs, design engineering, and construction management for the vertical ore shafts and horizontal tunnels utilized in open pit mining.

III. Tailings Dams

Tailings are the byproduct of extracting valuable elements such as gold from raw mineral ore.  Tailings generated by mining activities cannot be reprocessed or reused in the production process; therefore, storage becomes the only feasible option for them to be managed.  Storing tailings in ponds, created by erecting a dam, allows sedimentation of the particles, thusly reducing the possibility of wind transportation to populated areas.

RIZZO frequently performs Technical Audits for tailings dams throughout the world.  Technical Audits are designed to confirm the operation of the dam is in accordance with the best practices available in the industry, to review the acceptability of techniques used in the design, and to recommend task and actions that should be implemented.

RIZZO’s long-standing involvement with dam projects also provides us with the expertise needed to perform dam break simulation on tailings storage facilities.  The model helps identify initial dam conditions, which allows for the assessment of sensitive sections of a tailings dam in order to determine critical failure points, as well as parameters such as crack width, depth, and failure time.

RIZZO also utilizes its expertise with tailings dams to create operation and maintenance plans, which is a key element to the successful operation of these facilities.  In addition to preventing dam failure, operation and maintenance plans help reduce operation costs.