Three-dimensional Kinematic Analysis of Bingham Canyon Mine Pit Wall Slides

This paper introduces a pioneering use of the material point method (MPM) in a three-dimensional analysis of a field-scale landslide. The MPM is a numerical technique derived from a continuum mechanics framework that allows the use of conventional geotechnical constitutive models. It was used to model the large deformations produced in the run-out of the Bingham Canyon mine pit wall slides to quantify the run-out displacements, the energy release, and the maximum velocity. The results show quite good qualitative and quantitative agreement with available reports of the slides. The numerical method is demonstrated to be a powerful tool in landslide risk assessment for the mining industry.