Slope stability studies in open pit mines-A case study

Rock slopes excavated in various open pit mining need to be designed with considering proper geotechnical studies. The economic impact of excessively conservative designs or of failures in these slopes can be very large and every effort has to be made to optimise their design. The input required for these study includes a comprehensive geological data base that contains both structural geology, lithological information, and hydrogeological model that permits water pressures to be estimated throughout the slope, estimates of rock mass, material strength, deformation properties, and an understanding of external forces, that may be imposed on the slope. In this paper, two case studies related to slope stability of large open pit mines located in India are presented.