Deterministic and probabilistic stability analysis of a mining rock slope in the vicinity of a major public road — case study of the LAB Chrysotile mine in Canada

Abstract

In recent years, several large open-pit mines have started operating in the province of Quebec in Canada, and some of the largest planned pits are located close to public infrastructure. Historically, large open-pit mining has seldom been done in many mining regions, such as the Abitibi region, where underground mines are the norm. As an integral part of achieving social acceptability of open-pit mining, the stability of mining slopes must be carefully analyzed during the design process and the presence of public infrastructure near the slopes must be adequately considered. The province of Quebec does not have specific guidelines regarding such design considerations. This paper provides a short overview of the literature on some current practices regarding mining slope design close to public infrastructure. To demonstrate its applicability in the Quebec provincial context, the paper then investigates the stability of the west wall of the LAB Chrysotile open-pit mine in Thetford Mines (Quebec) near the new Road 112. Deterministic and probabilistic analyses were conducted using finite element shear strength reduction and limit equilibrium methods to investigate slope stability. The impact of pit infilling and rapid dewatering as well as long-term stability of the slope were investigated. The results of all analyses reveal that the current mining slopes at LAB Chrysotile are within acceptable design criteria limits.