Statement of Qualifications

Mankind lives on the earth. Everything built, either originated from, is built on, or interacts with, the earth. Geology is the science of the earth. Geotechnical Engineering is the application of geology and mathematics to use Earth’s natural resources to build infrastructure. Tierra Group International, Ltd. applies its geotechnical expertise to the conception, design, construction, and operations of physical structures for the mining industry, including:

  • Foundations
  • Tailings Dams
  • Water Dams
  • Heap Leach Pads
  • Mine Pits
  • Waste Rock Dumps
  • Hydraulic Structures (Canals, Channels, Pipelines, etc.)
  • Civil Infrastructure (Plants, Buildings, Roads, Bridges, etc.)

Tierra Group has applied its 100+ years combined professional geological and engineering expertise consulting on, or designing and constructing, dozens of these structures on six continents. This geographic variety has allowed Tierra Group’s Team to develop expertise designing facilities under challenging geotechnical conditions such as:

  • Laterites
  • Saprolites
  • Swelling or Collapsible Soils
  • Karst
  • Variable Geology
  • Highly and Active Seismicity (Earthquakes)
  • High Altitudes (4,000-m amsl)
  • Tropics

Tierra Group has innovatively adapted to these challenging environments using highly-trained professionals and state-of-the-art techniques and software to perform the following tasks and analyses:

  • Site Characterization
  • Soil/Rock Mechanics
  • Geologic Hazards - Landslide, Rock Fall, Avalanches, Seismic (Earthquakes)
  • Geotechnical Analyses - Slope, Stability, Seepage, Settlement, Consolidation, Deformation, Liquefaction
  • Civil Design and Specifications
  • Construction Documents
  • Resident Engineering
  • Quality Assurance
  • Operations Support
  • Forensics and Mitigation
  • Peer Reviews

Regardless of the geotechnical challenges posed, Tierra Group’s broad experience, intimate attention to site-specific conditions, and keen focus on developing innovative solutions, has earned us a respected reputation and loyal clients around the world.


Select Geotechnical Projects

Brushy Creek

Tierra Group provided a raise design for Doe Run's Brushy Creek tailings embankment, a facility first commissioned in 1973. Cone penetration testing, liquefaction analysis, seepage modeling, and slope stability modeling were performed for the embankment. Hydrology, spillway design, and impoundment layout…

VIEW PROJECT

Pirquitas Tailings Review

Tierra Group prepared a civil engineering design for SSR Mining’s Mina Pirquitas in Jujuy Province, Argentina and developed current and future water-mass balance through hydrological/hydraulics calculations and modeling. Tierra Group developed the ultimate tailings surface, deposition plan, spillway relocation analysis,…

VIEW PROJECT

El Gallo Mine

El Gallo is a 3,000 tpd open-pit gold/silver mine located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in Mexico’s Sinaloa State. Gold is recovered through heap leaching and adsorption/desorption/recovery (ADR). Production commenced at El Gallo with the first gold pour in September…

VIEW PROJECT

Masbate Mine

Tierra Group performed a study of Masbate’s 12-Mt tailings storage facility. Services provided included a forensic study to determine the cause of seepage through an abutment and performed an independent safety audit of tailings management practices. A risk analysis was performed…

VIEW PROJECT

Oracle Ridge Copper

Tierra Group represented Oracle Ridge Mining as the Qualified Person for portions of the feasibility-level design including the Dry Stack Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) Design, Site-Wide Stormwater Management, Water Supply Pipelines, Haul Road and Access Road Design Improvements, and the…

VIEW PROJECT

Pitarrilla Mine

Tierra Group participated as a member of a multi-disciplinary project team to develop a Definitive Feasibility study for a 16,000 tpd silver mine in Durango, Mexico. Tierra Group's responsibilities included designing a 112 Mt tailings storage facility, developing a site-wide…

VIEW PROJECT

Sweetwater Mine

Sweetwater Mine Permitting Tierra Group’s Team began work at the Sweetwater mine in 1993 assisting permitting and developing tailings impoundment management strategies for the mine. We successfully designed and installed an innovative internal seal for repair of the mine’s damaged…

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

AranzazĂș Mine

The Aranzazú Mine is a copper-gold-silver mine located in the northeastern region of Zacatecas, Mexico. The mine includes both open pit and underground operations. The mill currently processes 2,600 tonnes of ore per day. Tierra Group finalized the geotechnical investigation…

VIEW PROJECT

La Libertad Mine

Tierra Group engineers designed La Esperanza TSF, a 2.1-km long, 35-m high, earthfill tailings dam with an HDPE lined impoundment footprint of 840,000 m2. Tierra Group designed and provided Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) for all subsequent downstream dam stages. Stage…

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

La Negra Mine

Tierra Group performed a tailings storage facility safety (TSF) audit for the 90 m high upstream constructed tailings dam at La Negra Mine in Querétaro, Mexico. The project included a TSF dam inspection and Dam Safety Inspection Report (DSIR) containing operational…

VIEW PROJECT