Monitoring and modelling the deformation state of a dyke of a flotation tailings reservoir of a copper ore mine

storage facilities. Because of operational safety issues and to
minimize the exposure of local neighbourhoods to the risk of such
reservoirs failing, mining operations are limited during the period of
waste storage, thereby reducing the impact of exploitation on these
objects. Nevertheless, continuous monitoring and analysis of the
deformation state of reservoirs and associated facilities are required.
Monitoring is most often carried out using geodetic methods, while
the deformation analysis is based on determining the displacements
of control points and making short- and long-term forecasts of
changes in land surface deformation.
Presented here is an analysis of changes in the state of displacements
and dyke deformations of a currently closed copper flotation tailings
reservoir that was used in the 1970s. After the storage of waste was
stopped, an intensive two-stage mining operation was carried out
under the reservoir. The results obtained from the geodetic
monitoring of displacements and deformations of the reservoir dyke
are compared with the model values, and the usefulness of the applied
theoretical model for describing the vertical and horizontal
displacements and horizontal deformations is verified. Based on the
comparison results, a hypothesis is presented regarding the causes of
the actual condition of the movements of the reservoir dam crest
against the background of the expected movements obtained from
theoretical modelling. The presented conclusions revise a very
rigorous approach to protecting flotation tailings reservoirs against
the effects of underground mining