Andina Veladero Engineering Review

Project Highlights:

  • Independent Engineer's Review
  • Construction Quality Assurance
  • Cold Climate
  • High Altitude
  • Dam Safety Review
  • Heap Leach Facility

Tierra Group performed a forensic study to determine the cause for volumetrically non-compliant leakage volumes occurring in the heap leach facilities leak detection system. Tierra Group reviewed the facility design, engineering and construction quality assurance (CQA) information, construction as built drawings, and summarized findings in a technical memorandum.

Tierra Group performed a peer review to verify the Phase 7 leaching pad basic engineering. Tierra Group reviewed the existing design and engineering drawings to ensure the proposed design is adequate and follows acceptable engineering practices. In addition, Tierra Group conducted a dam safety review (DSR), which served as the starter dam for the leaching pad, identified opportunities to "optimize" the design to reduce capital or operating costs, and identified associated risks (regulatory, financial, construction schedule, etc.) with optimization application.

Tierra Group conducted a heap leach pad (HLP) engineering design review. Tierra Group reviewed the existing design, engineering drawings, geotechnical analyses, and surface water management and water balance to ensure the proposed design is adequate and follows acceptable engineering practices.

Tierra Group performed a DSR for a mining dam. The DSR is part of the dam safety management system to compare management procedures to the standards outlined in Barrick’s Corporate Tailings and Heap Leach Management Standard and to ensure compliance with international dam safety guidelines. Tierra Group personnel conducted a site inspection and interviewed staff to understand current practices compared to the Standard requirements.

Tierra Group prepared a pre-feasibility level HLF design including geotechnical, hydrology and hydraulics, water balance, and electromechanical design.

Tierra Group performed EoR services, including technical direction and preparing construction design documents.

Project Highlights:

  • Independent Engineer's Review
  • Construction Quality Assurance
  • Cold Climate
  • High Altitude
  • Dam Safety Review
  • Heap Leach Facility

Similar projects

Bunker Hill

Dry Stack Tailings Storage Facility Tierra Group designed a dry stack TSF to store excess tailings from the underground paste backfill. The dry stack TSF was challenging, given the limited land area, steep terrain, seasonal cold weather, and surface water…

VIEW PROJECT

Mascota Mine

Creston Mascota Mine is located in Chihuahua, Mexico and is owned and operated by Agnico Eagle Mexico. Tierra Group designed the Phase 4 heap leach pad, buttress, which included geotechnical investigations, slope stability analyses and a water balance for Agnico…

VIEW PROJECT

Cerro Negro

Tierra Group was selected to assist Goldcorp with global Tailings Stewardship Strategy (TSS) implementation at all of Goldcorp’s active tailings sites in Latin America (Mexico, Argentina, and Guatemala). Tierra Group worked in conjunction with Goldcorp and another global engineering consulting…

VIEW PROJECT

Pierina Mine

Barrick Gold Corporation’s Pierina Mine in Ancash Department, Perú began operations in 1998. A progressive reclamation and closure plan began in 2013.  In 2015-16 Tierra Group developed detailed engineering designs for channels, sediment traps, two 45,000 m3 sediment ponds, water…

VIEW PROJECT

Sterling Mine

Sterling Mine is an underground gold mine in southern Nevada which recovers gold through heap leaching and a carbon adsorption-desorption-recovery (ADR) plant. Tierra Group team members have a long history at Sterling, starting with heap leach pad final permanent closure…

VIEW PROJECT

Anglo American Quellaveco Mine | Perú

Tierra Group supervised a geotechnical and hydrogeologic drilling investigation program at Anglo American’s Quellaveco Mine in the Moquegua Region of Peru. Geotechnical Investigation Tierra Group developed a geotechnical and hydrogeological research plan within and near the Quellaveco Pit footprint. This…

VIEW PROJECT

Jerritt Canyon Mine

2023 Dam Inspections/Review Tierra Group completed a site visit to inspect three tailings storage facilities (TSFs) and the Evaporation Pond. In addition to the site visit and dam inspections, design and monitoring reports (prepared by others) were reviewed for each…

VIEW PROJECT

El Aguila

Dry Stack Tailings Options Analysis Tierra Group performed an independent TSF expansion engineering design peer review. The review resulted in cost savings ($650,000) without compromising the facility's design integrity over the original design. Tierra Group also provided full-time CQA. Tierra…

VIEW PROJECT

Buriticá Tailings Stewardship & Cyanide Speciation

Tierra Group provided Tailings Stewardship Services for Continental Gold’s Buriticá Project in Antioquia, Columbia which included permitting support, Third-Party Review and construction and operations support. Tierra Group oversaw the development of a 2D hydrodynamic model to support the design of…

VIEW PROJECT

El Mochito Mine

El Mochito is an underground zinc/silver mine located in the Santa Barbara Mountains in north-central Honduras. Tierra Group’s Team has been providing Tailings Stewardship Services at El Mochito continuously for the past 26 years. Since 1989, Tierra Group engineers have provided…

VIEW PROJECT

Yauricocha Mine

The Yauricocha Mine is a polymetallic (copper, lead, zinc) underground mine located in Yauyos Province, Lima, Peru. Tailings are deposited in the Yauricocha Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) located 3km from the process plant. Tierra Group was engaged in 2015 to…

VIEW PROJECT

Mexican Hat PEA Update

Tierra Group conducted an update of the Mexican Hat Project’s Preliminary Economic Assessment. Tierra Group’s update included the heap leach facility design and preliminary stacking plan, waste rock storage pad, and crushed rock storage pad design.

VIEW PROJECT