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Feasibility study, Murrawombie Open Pit Mine, NSW, Australia

THE PROJECT

The Murrawombie Open Pit Mine, historically known as Girilambone Mine, is in the central west of NSW and 2 km west of the town of Girilambone. Mining of oxide and transitional copper ore in the 1990s produced an open-cut pit approximately 150 m deep. The resource is a massive sulphide deposit with existing pit walls comprising meta-sediments which are highly foliated and structurally complex.

PSM was engaged to complete a feasibility stage geotechnical study to provide pit slope design parameters for the proposed cut-back of existing pit walls.

ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL OPPORTUNITIES

The resource is a massive sulphide deposit with existing pit walls comprising meta-sediments which are highly foliated and structurally complex. Low-grade metamorphic sequences comprised highly foliated silicified meta-sediments. There was also restricted access to pit walls for collection of relevant geotechnical data.

APPROACH AND INNOVATION

PSM’s tailored approach included:

  • Completion of feasibility studies for a cut-back affecting three of the existing pit walls and deepening the pit by about 70 m, using performance of existing pit walls and results of stability analyses
  • Provision of reliable pit wall structural orientation data using photogrammetry
  • Assessment of rock characteristics using in-pit geotechnical mapping
  • Development of the geotechnical model, using existing data, photogrammetry and in-pit mapping results
  • Assessment of slope stability of the proposed cut-back walls using kinematic and statistical methods, and numerical modelling using limit equilibrium methods.

OUTCOMES

PSM successfully completed feasibility studies, identified design risks and provided mitigation strategies.

Services: #Geotechnical #girilambone #gririlambonemine #murrawombie #openpit #slopestability #sulphidedeposits

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    Locations

    Sydney

    G3, 56 Delhi Road
    North Ryde NSW 2113

    BRISBANE

    Level 6, 500 Queen St
    Brisbane QLD 4000

    PERTH

    Level 3, 22 Delhi St
    West Perth WA 6005

    Geelong

    O16, L4, 60 Moorabool St
    Geelong VIC 3220
    Contact us
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