Jagersfontein tailings dam collapse due to poor engineering practice
Study using publicly available images found erosion on parts of the dam walls and asymmetric dumping of waste
05 April 2023 - 19:02
Analysis by two Wits University academics using publicly available satellite images indicates the Jagersfontein mine tailings dam deviated from best engineering practice — and shows how much surveillance and research can be conducted with open data.
In the study published in the journal Scientific Reports on Wednesday, Dr Luis Alberto Torres-Cruz, a senior lecturer at the Wits school of civil and environmental engineering, and master's student Christopher O'Donovan analysed the likely cause of the dam’s collapse...
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