Geophysical experiments to image the shallow internal structure and the moisture distribution of a mine waste rock pile

Several field surveys of a waste rock pile were carried out during the summers of 2002 and 2003 using ground-penetrating radar, electromagnetic conductivity and DC resistivity imaging. The waste rock deposit is prone to generate acid mine drainage (AMD) due to the oxidation of sulphidic minerals. One of the most critical factors that lead to the production of AMD is unsaturated water flow and the ensuing moisture distribution in the waste rock. This geophysical characterization study, performed over a 30 m × 30 m test zone, was designed to image the internal structure controlling the water flux at shallow depth. The subsurface was found to consist of three zones for the first 6 m of the pile, mainly based on electrical resistivities: a thin superficial conductive material, an intermediate 2 to 3 m thick highly resistive zone, and a lower, more conductive medium. With the help of hydrogeological tests, chemical analyses and two 2.5 m-deep trenches, it is shown that the two conductive zones are correlated with fine-grained waste rock and the resistive zone correlates with a coarser material. In the two deeper zones, the contact between the two types of waste rock is typically highlighted by a sharp resistive/conductive boundary. An increase of conductance in the relatively thin upper layer towards the edge of the pile appears to be caused by an increase in thickness of the fine-grained material. Additional geophysical surveys carried out on a profile along the flank of the upper bench of the pile show that the main features of the internal structure are sub-parallel to the slope, at least for the first 3 m in depth. The data also show an increase in resistivity from the top to bottom of the slope, in accordance with expected particle segregation, from fine-grained material at the top to coarser material at the bottom. Wide-angle reflection GPR monitoring during large scale infiltration tests seems to indicate preferential flow paths towards the direction of coarser, more pervious material (which also appears to be less oxidized). Water preferentially flows through the coarse-grained material, but it is stored by capillary forces in the fine-grained material. Apart from the deposition methods, the results strongly suggest that factors such as machinery-induced mechanical alteration, construction history of the pile, and increased oxidization near the edges could explain the resistivity model. The model interpreted from geophysical imaging agrees well with the conceptual model of the rock pile. The resistivity and GPR methods appear to be efficient geophysical methods to characterize the internal structure and preferential flow patterns within unsaturated waste rock piles.