Tailings breach due to Glacial Till beneath Mount Polley's pond. Full Stop. Highland Copper and Gibraltar mines??? Jeopardy game

Geological Fieldwork 2014

3.1.1.1.3. Porphyry indicator minerals in till, central British Columbia (TGI4; 2010-2015)

Alain Plouffe (GSC) and Travis Ferbey (BCGS) are developing surficial geochemical and mineralogical methods for detecting buried porphyry-style mineralization in drift covered areas. This project aims to define the key components of till that are enriched with porphyry indicator minerals and retain a porphyry trace element chemistry following a history of erosion from a mineralized outcrop, subglacial transport, and near-surface oxidation. Glacial dispersal of heavy minerals and till matrix are being studied at the Highland Valley, Gibraltar, and Mount Polley mines, and the advanced-stage Woodjam project. A critical part of the study is applying surficialgeological mapping and observations of ice-flow indicators to reconstruct the glacial and ice-flow histories at each site.  These ice-flow histories will be applied to the interpretation of geochemical and mineralogical dispersal patterns in till.

MacLeans -  Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press  January 30, 2015

snip   The independent, government-ordered report released Friday said the spill of 24 million cubic metres of silt and water into nearby lakes and rivers was caused by an inadequately designed dam that didn’t account for drainage and erosion failures associated with glacial till beneath the pond.

B.C.’s Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett immediately ordered B.C.’s Chief Inspector of Mines to require all operating mines with similar tailings ponds to confirm what kind of foundation material their dams rest on by June 30.

There are currently 98 permitted tailings storage facilities in the province with 123 dams at 60 metal and coal mines in B.C.  snip

Snip  It appears the engineers and designers overlooked or dismissed that the ground a mere eight to 10 metres below the tailings pond and dam wasn't bedrock.

The tailings facility was built atop glacial till — a combination of clay and silt sediment left behind by an ancient glacier. Snip

The fact the mine itself was built upon glacial till wasn't all that important, but it was crucial information needed for the construction of the tailings pond and its dam.

The Mount Polley Tailings Pond Breach Report

Appendix H Drawings page 4 of 4

The Panel Report Mount Polley Independant Engineering Review Panel
Appendix A - Terms of reference
Appendix B - Background reports and information
Appendix C - Surface investigations
Appendix C - Mount Polley 3D flyover
Appendix C Drawings
Appendix D - Subsurface Investigation
Appendix D Table D2-1
Appendix D Drawings
Appendix D Attachment D1
Appendix D Attachment D2
Appendix D Attachment D3 D4 D5 #1
Appendix D Attachmen tD3 D4 D5 (2)
Appendix D Attachment D3 D4 D5
Appendix D Attachment D6
Appendix D Attachment D7
Appendix D Attachment D8 D9 D10
Appendix D Attachment D8 D9 D10 (1)
Appendix D Attachment D8 D9 D10 (2)
Appendix E Laboratory Testing and Results
Appendix E Attachments
Appendix F Instrumentation and Monitoring
Appendix F Drawings
Appendix G Water Balance
Appendix G Drawings
Appendix H Breach Analysis
Appendix H Drawings
Appendix I B.C. Tailings Dam Failure Frequency and Portfolio Risk
Appendix I Attachments
Appendix J Cariboo Regional District Video
Video

February 1, 2015 - Media Release
B.C. Government "Removes" 113 Documents
from Mount Polley Disaster Panel Investigation Website
- Mount Polley "Removed" and Released Documents Backgrounder (pdf)

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