Abstract

Mine infrastructure is a vital component of the mining and mineral industry and interruptions to its operation can have significant economic implications.  In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where iron ore mining dominates, mine infrastructure commonly includes inland Ore Processing Facilities, various transport corridors, which cover a variety of terrains, commonly linking the mines to the coast, Port Facilities along the north-west coast and associated Non-Processing Infrastructure.

Development of Pilbara mine infrastructure is commonly constrained by being conducted as part of relatively fast-tracked projects, on remote sites with a range of access issues, including lengthy land acquisition accounting for lease, traditional owner and environmental requirements.  

While the type and location of mine infrastructure varies widely, geotechnical input required for development can be categorised as site selection, construction of cuts and fills, foundation assessment for structures, monitoring and maintenance of constructed earthworks and recovery post failures.

Engineering geological input has been proven to be a valuable tool in enabling the development and operation of mine infrastructure in this relatively complex environment by:

• Development of early ground models, including engineering geological maps, based on existing information, site reconnaissance and mapping for input to site selection and early engineering;
• Early identification of key geo-uncertainties and geo-hazards and targeting Ground Breaking Investigations (GBI) to resolve such issues;
• Conduct of GBI to provide information for design and earthworks tendering and extrapolation of results between investigation locations on large sites and to in accessible areas;
• Provision of construction support ensuring encountered ground conditions are as interpreted during design and, if not, identify alternative designs that need to be applied; and
• Operational support providing earthworks condition reports, ongoing monitoring, prioritisation of remedial works should requirement for such be identified and rapid response when earthworks failures occur.

Discussion of the above is illustrated by reference to a range of projects conducted by the author in the Pilbara.

Biography

John Kennedy is a consulting engineering geologist, with more than 35 years of professional experience.  Throughout his career John has supported projects across all phases – from initial site selection, through the various phases of geotechnical investigation and site characterisation, geotechnical design, construction and operation.  John places particular emphasis on understanding, and mitigating or allowing for, geo related risk and uncertainties throughout projects.  John is skilled at identifying and communicating geotechnical conditions and issues to all relevant stakeholders of the projects.

John routinely works on mining projects, such as Ore Processing Facilities and Non-Processing Infrastructure, transport corridors including heavy haul railways, roads, pipelines and conveyors, quarries for sourcing seawall armour and manufacture of ballast and Select Fill and Port Facilities.

As mining transitions to green energy, John is becoming increasingly involved with geotechnics related to renewable energy generation, in particular, solar and wind power generation, and power transmission networks.  John also has extensive experience with geotechnical investigation and analyses of the stability and design of open pit slopes and tailings dams.  Whilst particularly focussed on Western Australia, John has worked on projects throughout Australia and in New Zealand, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Cameroon, Mongolia, Mexico, Greenland, Indonesia, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

In 1996, John formed 4DGeotechnics Pty Ltd, a Perth based consulting company, specialising in providing professional geotechnical services to large primary resource development projects and operations.  Since its inception, and under John’s guidance, 4DG has focussed on the development and application of proven professional skills and techniques to maximise the use of existing data and engineering geological mapping to provide early geotechnical input to projects and conduct complex engineering geological and geotechnical investigations, often in remote and extreme locations and often with strict time limitations.