{"id":41762,"date":"2022-09-26T06:43:32","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T06:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/landslideblog\/?p=41762"},"modified":"2022-09-26T06:43:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T06:43:32","slug":"jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/landslideblog\/2022\/09\/26\/jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"High resolution satellite imagery of the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure"},"content":{"rendered":"

High resolution satellite imagery of the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure<\/h4>\n

Planet Labs has released a high resolution (SkySat) image<\/a> of the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure<\/a>:-<\/p>\n

\"Planet

Planet Labs SkySat image of the 11 September 2022 Jagersfontein tailings dam failure. Image copyright Planet Labs<\/a>, released under a Creative Commons licence.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n

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).\u00a0 Note also the inundated houses.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile the New York Times has a detailed and excellent article about the breach<\/a>.\u00a0 Interestingly, it reports that a crack was spotted in the facility at 2 am on the day of the collapse:-<\/p>\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cHe said, \u2018I\u2019ll tell you, that thing is going to blast,\u2019\u201d said Mr. Makalajane, 45, recalling his conversation. Of management, he added, \u201cThey didn\u2019t take it seriously.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n