Unveiling the power of InSAR: A case study on open-pit mine slope stability

By DARES Technology

In the realm of mining, ensuring the stability of open-pit mine slopes is paramount to operational safety and efficiency. DARES Technology presented a back-analysis of an open pit slope failure in a European mining area. To conduct the analysis, the company applied its advanced multi-temporal InSAR analysis using Sentinel1 SAR images spanning from May 2022 to May 2023.

Here are the key findings: 

✔ The displacement process detected on the west wall of the open pit that finally suffered the failure showed a velocity increase that started towards the end of 2022. Six months in advance of the eventual failure the team at DARES started noticing some precursors.

✔ By April 2023, just one month before the event, an acceleration behavior was detected.

✔ At this point, significant accumulated displacement values up to 3 m can be measured over the critical slope.

Employing the Inverse Velocity model on the time-series data, the team successfully predicted a potential failure date corresponding to 08/05/2023, a mere one day before the actual event occurred. This achievement showcases the InSAR capabilities as a robust, operational, and reliable solution for detecting geotechnical precursors and providing early warning in risk identification in open-pit mines.

Furthermore, this success was facilitated by the integration of MASTERMINE technology, enhancing the calibration process and ensuring readiness for future operations in mines within the project. To delve deeper into this transformative case study, DARES will present its findings at the upcoming Slope Stability Symposium in Brazil next April.