SLOPE STABILITY RADAR AND THE COAL MINING INDUSTRY MT OWEN MINE Mt Owen is located in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, 20km north of the township of Singleton. Comprising one of the deepest coal open pits in Australia, the mine is wholly owned by the Swiss based minerals producer and commodity trader, Xstrata, with Thiess operating as the contractor of the mine. In December 2004, Mt Owen became concerned about a large area they had been monitoring for over 6 months. The area was producing cracks in haul roads and other critical areas of the mine. Monitoring of the area had initially been conducted by using traditional methods until movement was considered unacceptable. The Slope Stability Radar (SSRTM) was installed approximately three weeks before significant movemen

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