Integrated characterization of waste rock at the Detour Lake Mine

Detour Lake金矿的露天开采产生了大量废石，需要进行管理，以尽量减少酸性岩石排水的释放。1983年至1999年在Detour Lake矿区进行的采矿作业导致建造了四个废石储存库。在目前的Detour Lake矿山开发期间，挖掘了其中两个库存。两个库存仍在原地。这些储存库在现场条件下有16年的运行历史和15年的关闭后历史，为检查Detour湖现场岩石类型的反应性提供了宝贵的机会，可用于改善水质预测。这些库存还使人们有机会了解在上次作业之后使用的废石封闭战略的性能，并为改进封闭设计提供基础。拟议在Detour湖场地进行的研究将包括对现有被覆盖的废石储存库3和4进行调查，以详细分析这些储存库的水平衡，评估这些储存库的渗滤液对地下含水层的影响，并评估薄土壤覆盖物作为废物-岩石管理系统的性能。进一步的调查将集中在新的矿化废物堆（MWS）上，以评估MWS渗滤液与底层基础材料之间的潜在相互作用。拟议的研究计划将有助于在直接观察在自然野外条件下风化了31年的历史岩石库存与新沉积的库存之间建立关键联系。预期这项研究将导致改进预测和管理废石储存库流出物长期质量的技术。

Open pit mining at the Detour Lake gold mine is generating large volumes of waste rock that need to be managed to minimize the release of acid rock drainage. Previous mining operations at the Detour Lake site, from 1983 to 1999, resulted in the construction of four waste-rock stockpiles. Two of these stockpiles were excavated during the development of the current Detour Lake mine. Two stockpiles remain in place. These stockpiles have 16 years of operating history and 15 years of post-closure history under site conditions, and represent a valuable opportunity to examine the reactivity of rock types from the Detour Lake site, which can be used to improve water quality predictions. The stockpiles also provide an opportunity to understand the performance of waste-rock closure strategies used following the previous operation and provide a basis forimproved closure designs.The proposed research at the Detour Lake site will include investigations on existing covered waste rock stockpiles 3 and 4 to develop a detailed analysis of the water balance for these stockpiles, to assess the impact of leachate from the stockpiles on underlying aquifers, and to assess the performance of the thin soil covers as a waste-rock management system. Additional investigations will focus on the new mineralized-waste stockpile (MWS) to assess potential interactions between the MWS leachate and the underlying foundation materials. The proposed research program will contribute a critical linkage between direct observations of historic rock stockpiles that have been weathering under natural field conditions for 31 years and freshly deposited stockpiles. It is expected that this study will lead to improved techniques for predicting and managing thelong-term quality of effluent from waste-rock stockpiles.