28 July 2021
Drone footage of the 31 May 2021 landslide at Bingham Canyon mine in Utah
Posted by Dave Petley
Drone footage of the 31 May 2021 landslide at Bingham Canyon mine in Utah
On 31 May 2021 a large landslide occurred at the Bingham Canyon mine in Utah. Bingham Canyon is famous for the enormous 2013 landslide; fortunately this event was on a smaller scale, although it was far from trivial.
In the last week drone footage of the landslide has been posted to Youtube:-
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The video starts with the rear scarps of the slide block clearly defined. At Bingham Canyon there is a sophisticated monitoring programme for the slopes, so the failure was anticipated and all of the key assets had been removed from danger. It is interesting to note the drilling that had been undertaken through the area that failed, possibly in anticipation of blasting? I am not an expert by any means of open pit mining operations.
The failure appears to initiate as a translational slide:
The initial failure of the 31 May 2021 landslide at Bingham Canyon in Utah. Still from a video posted to Youtube.
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Note how the surface of the main block remains approximately horizontal. At the rear a smaller block starts to fail slightly later than the main block. This slice rapidly fragments as it loses support from the main block. Thereafter the entire landslide slowly fragments and, eventually, becomes engulfed in dust. Small secondary failures develop across the scar of the landslide.
This is one of the most impressive failures caught on video to date. That the drone team were in place suggests that the mine had correctly predicted not just the location of the landslide but also its timing. The result is an excellent case study.
Incidentally, there is a book about the 2013 landslide, entitled Rise to the Occasion by Brad Ross. It is, unfortunately, very expensive. Has anyone here read it? Is it worth a read?
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
I’ve read the book – it’s a very detailed explanation of what went wrong, what went right, and how they managed it. I got our business library (at the university library I work at) to purchase it after reading it because while it is about the mine failure, it’s primarily about the management of the mine.
I’d say it’s definitely worth the read for the information about the failure.
Indeed, the drilling you see on the surface bench would be for blasting; I wonder if they were in the process of a pushback to remove the slide mass. Fortunately it doesn’t look like the blast pattern was loaded at the time, though that would have made for an even more impressive video.
The Driller probably breathed a sigh of relief that the slide didn’t fail out from under him after this happened. Obviously very close to failure “as-was”.
The book is available on Amazon UK as a Kindle edition at £7.84…. https://tinyurl.com/2dmwd85p
Hi Dave, I agree – the book was too expensive. That is why I a couple years ago I bought out the rights to the electronic version (funny that you have to do that as the author) and it is for sale on Amazon for $10. Or anyone send me an email and I will send you a pdf version for free.
I am the wrong person to ask if it is worth the read (I am a little biased). It does have some interesting photos however.
Hello Brad – I’m a Docent at the Phoenix Art Museum and I will be presenting a gallery talk on mining in the American West for museum guests, to correlate with our upcoming special exhibit November 2021 – March 2022. Landscapes of Extraction, Mining in the American West. I would be very appreciative of the PDF from your book to further my education and knowledge on the subject and will provide all credits of course to you. Below is my contact info. If you will be in Phoenix Arizona during that time please be my guest at the Museum to tour the exhibit – my pleasure
Thanks Teresa!
Brad
Hi Brad,
I am a geotechnical engineer in British Columbia.
I would appreciated receiving a .pdf of “Rise to the Occasion” if it is still available.
I would specifically use it in my ongoing mentorship program for qualifying engineers.
Thanks,
Brad: It is possible to get a copy of Rise and Fall…….
My interest is the material characterizations.
Thanhs, Prof Urzua – Weston Observatory Boston College