A case study on assessing seepage zones in mining operations using infrared thermography
A case study on assessing seepage zones in mining operations using infrared thermography
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/Abstract
Effective management of fluid flow in open-pit excavations is important as disturbances from mining activities such as blasting can drastically change the permeability of rock masses. Blasting weakens rock masses and increases fracture connectivity, enabling water infiltration that can adversely affect slope stability. Thus, this study presents the application of infrared thermography to detect seepage zones in an open-pit quarry in South Africa. Additionally, field-scale measurements as well as photogrammetry data, are used to gain a better understanding of unsaturated flow behaviour in fractured rock masses. Based on the results of this study, infrared thermography revealed that the natural seepage zone displayed a distinct thermal flow pattern compared to the surrounding rock mass, while the emergence of a new seepage zone during field testing suggests that blasting activities may induce fractures and alter subsurface fluid pathways. This approach provides insight into the thermal behaviour of high walls and highlights the role of fracture networks in governing fluid dynamics in geotechnical domains. Therefore, infrared thermography is a promising and powerful technique for evaluating areas susceptible to seepage on high walls based on thermal pattern variations that remain imperceptible to the naked eye. By integrating these observations with an analysis of rock mass characteristics, the study highlights how flow patterns within these rock masses can be influenced by complex and prolonged geological changes arising from excavation activities, thereby contributing to the understanding of geotechnical constraints in open-pit mining environments.
Keywords
Fracture flow, slope stability, seepage zone, infrared thermography, photogrammetry
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