Paper contribution

Tailings Heterogeneity and Multi-Scenario Response of an Upstream Tailings Dam

Bo Huang; Qiang Guo; Yewei Tian; Qixian Jiao; Zian Li

Proceedings
EUROCK 2026
Pages
1081-1087
Submitted
22 April 2026
Accepted
15 June 2026
Published
12 August 2026

Summary

Abstract

Upstream tailings dams are highly vulnerable to instability under extreme rainfall and seismic loading, yet the mechanism by which depositional spatial heterogeneity governs dam responses and failure evolution under multiple scenarios remains insufficiently constrained. This study investigates a high-altitude canyon-type upstream tailings storage facility in western China using representative profiles, borehole sampling, laboratory testing, and GeoStudio-based numerical simulations. The results show that the deposited tailings become progressively finer from the dam front to the reservoir tail, while vertically they display a coarse-fine-coarse cyclic pattern, jointly forming a pronounced three-dimensional heterogeneous structure. This depositional heterogeneity is further translated into layered hydro-mechanical parameter zonation, characterized by relatively loose, more permeable, and lower-stiffness tailings in the shallow part, a compaction-transition zone in the middle part, and denser tailings with lower permeability, higher shear strength, and higher stiffness at depth. Under heavy rainfall, infiltration is preferentially concentrated in the shallow tailings, whereas the relatively low-permeability middle layers impede downward seepage, resulting in perched water, pore-pressure accumulation near the dam toe, and progressive reduction in effective stress and local shear resistance; consequently, the factor of safety decreases from 1.35 to 0.98. Under seismic loading, the combined influence of low stiffness in the shallow tailings, structural transitions in the middle-upper zone, and free-surface amplification promotes deformation localization in the crest and middle-upper deposited-tailings zone, leading to the development of potential sliding zones and a reduction in the factor of safety to 0.962. These findings demonstrate that tailings spatial heterogeneity is not merely a depositional feature, but the key internal factor governing seepage redistribution, deformation localization, and failure evolution of upstream tailings dams under different external disturbances.

Contributors

Authors

  1. Bo Huang Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co.,Ltd.International Engineering Corporation Chengdu, Sichuan 610213 China
  2. Qiang Guo North China Engineering Investigation Institute Co., Ltd., Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China; Technology Innovation Center for Groundwater Disaster Prevention and Control Engineering for Metal Mines,Ministry of Natural Resources, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, ChinaTailings Heterogeneity and Multi-Scenario Response of an Upstream Tailings Dam
  3. Yewei Tian Sinohydro Bureau 7 Co.,Ltd.International Engineering Corporation Chengdu, Sichuan 610213 China
  4. Qixian Jiao North China Engineering Investigation Institute Co., Ltd., Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China; Technology Innovation Center for Groundwater Disaster Prevention and Control Engineering for Metal Mines,Ministry of Natural Resources, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, ChinaTailings Heterogeneity and Multi-Scenario Response of an Upstream Tailings Dam
  5. Zian Li North China Engineering Investigation Institute Co., Ltd., Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China; Technology Innovation Center for Groundwater Disaster Prevention and Control Engineering for Metal Mines,Ministry of Natural Resources, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, ChinaTailings Heterogeneity and Multi-Scenario Response of an Upstream Tailings Dam

Index terms

Keywords

Full text

Attachments

Works cited

References

  1. Du C, Tao H, Yi F (2024) Seepage stability analysis of geogrid reinforced tailings dam. Scientific Reports 14:1814.
  2. Han Y, Wang G, Zhang X, Zhao B (2023) Numerical simulation of seepage surface and analysis of phreatic line control from a fine-grained tailings high stacked dam under complicated geography conditions. Applied Sciences 13(23):12859.
  3. Li Q, Ma G, Li P, Su Z (2021) Dynamic characteristics of tailings dam with geotextile tubes under seismic load. Reviews on Advanced Materials Science 60(1):599-614.
  4. Otieno F, Shukla SK (2023) An insight into failure of iron ore mine tailings dams. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment 37(2):127-147.
  5. Solans D, Kontoe S, Zdravković L (2023) Comparison of a tailings material and a natural sand in seismic site response analyses. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 175:108269.
  6. Theron C, Lorentz SA, Xu Y (2022) Rainfall-induced groundwater ridging and the Lisse effect on tailings storage facilities: A literature review. Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 122(2):37-44.
  7. Wang G, Hu B, Tian S, Ai M, Liu W, Kong X (2021) Seepage field characteristic and stability analysis of tailings dam under action of chemical solution. Scientific Reports 11:4073.
  8. Wang G, Kang J, Du C, Tang Y, Kong X (2017) Study on tailings dam over-topping failure model test and break mechanism under the rainfall condition. TehničkiVjesnik 24(6):1897-1904.
  9. Williams DJ (2021) Lessons from tailings dam failures—where to go from here? Minerals 11(8):853.
  10. Wu W, Song Z, You Y, Peng R, Gan Y, Zhang B (2025) Pore water pressure and consolidation of tailing dams based on numerical simulation and similar modeling temporal and spatial distribution study. Scientific Reports 15:26122.