Case Study – Copper Mine in Arizona Heap leach pads don’t always perform as expected. An optimally operating heap is one that wets up uniformly all the way to the liner and drains to a constant, albeit low, moisture. In our experience of mapping leach pads, regardless of their construction, placement, grain size, or type of metal, they are never uniform. Issues such as ponding, preferential flow, phreatic surfaces, and compaction have led to some serious geotechnical and metallurgical consequences. In this geophysical case study for a copper mine in Arizona that we investigated a few years ago, a fine-grained ore was truck dumped for the first 5 lifts. The material had about 25% fines and was easily compacted with the haulage and earth moving equipment, despite ripping after stacking. This

Join for free to read