Gold mining tailings dam. AI-generated stock image by Adisorn.
The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has published its Tailings Progress Report, detailing member companies’ progress in implementing the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM).
Tailings are a by-product of mining, consisting of processed rock or soil, often containing residual chemicals, left over from the separation of the commodities of value from the material within which they occur.
Globally, an estimated 13 billion square tonnes of tailings are generated at mine sites each year, ICMM noted in the report. They are typically stored in engineered containment structures (tailings facilities), which often resemble dams or embankments that hold the slurry-like rock, soil, and associated water.
As often-permanent features of the mining landscape, tailings facilities must remain structurally and…
