26 September 2022
High resolution satellite imagery of the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure
Posted by Dave Petley
High resolution satellite imagery of the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure
Planet Labs has released a high resolution (SkySat) image of the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure:-
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As always the image is beautiful (although the subject is grim), showing the major breach on the eastern end of the southern edge of facility, plus the other locations of major erosion (which remain unexplained). Note also the inundated houses.
Meanwhile the New York Times has a detailed and excellent article about the breach. Interestingly, it reports that a crack was spotted in the facility at 2 am on the day of the collapse:-
At about 2 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, a truck driver at the dam spotted a crack in the facade, several workers there that day said in interviews. The driver reported it to a foreman, who checked it out but did not do anything, the workers said.
Joe Makalajane, a pan operator at the mine, did not see the crack himself but spoke to the driver as they were ending their shift, he said.
“He said, ‘I’ll tell you, that thing is going to blast,’” said Mr. Makalajane, 45, recalling his conversation. Of management, he added, “They didn’t take it seriously.”
It has been widely reported that the Jagersfontein tailings dam was owned by Stargems, and indeed there are quotes online from the company about the facility. It is remarkable though that the news section of the their website appears to lack any information about the failure.
Previous tailings dam failures have been investigated by independent teams, with the outcomes being published openly. An example is the Córrego do Feijão tailings dam failure at Brumandinho in Brazil. I have still to see a commitment to a similar level of transparency in the case of the Jagersfontein tailing dam failure. Interestingly, the summary of the meeting of the South African government cabinet in which the disaster was considered makes no reference to an independent investigation. Does anyone have any more information?
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Acknowledgement
Planet Team (2022). Planet Application Program Interface: In Space for Life on Earth. San Francisco, CA. https://www.planet.com/
I think Debeers “exerts undue influence” upon the SA cabinet. Not holding my breath. Fortunately, much can be done with the information that Is already out there.
PS: hoping your move went well and you’re settling in. Cheers!
[There are many rumours but little hard evidence. De Beers seem to have extracted itself from this operation several years ago. It is all very murky, so who knows the real story.
The move has gone very well thanks, it is a great pleasure and an enormous honour to be at the university of Hull. D.]
So apparently further mobility on this one was finally not prevented as you recommended in the previous post …
https://www.mining.com/web/another-mine-dam-wall-collapses-in-south-africa/?utm_source=Daily_Digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MNG-DIGESTS&utm_content=anotherminedam-wall-collapses-in-south-africa
[Thank,s latest reports are that this is an overflowing reservoir rather than tailings, but time will tell:
https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/now-free-state-govt-says-another-dam-wall-has-not-collapsed-in-jagersfontein-20220928
But even an overflowing reservoir is a very worrying development. D.]