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

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…

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San Francisco Mine

Tierra Group conducted geo-electrical testing to locate leaks present in the geomembrane liners underlying a Solution Conveyance Canal, Sumps 1 and 2, and the Intermediate Pond at Timmins Gold Corp’s San Francisco Mine in Sonora, Mexico. Leak detection testing procedures…

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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…

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Robinson Mine

Robinson Mine Tailings Impoundment Audit Prior to joining Tierra Group, our Team completed a third-party tailings impoundment audit. The audit included reviewing operational procedures, monitoring, design, and future tailings storage planning. Produced an audit report for company’s internal use. (Tetra Tech,…

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Campo Morado Mine

Dam Safety Review Tierra Group performed a Dam Safety Review (DSR) for Nyrstar’s tailings storage facility (TSF) located in Campo Morado (Guerrero, Mexico).  Tierra Group served as the Tailings Reviewer to ensure conformity with local regulations, the Nyrstar Tailings Storage…

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Morelos Mine

Tierra Group designed and implemented a stability and safety monitoring plan for Torex Gold’s Morelos Mine dry stack tailings storage facility (TSF). The monitoring plan includes installing inclinometers and vibrating wire piezometers, and training operations staff to download instrumentation readings.…

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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…

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New Jersey Mill TSF

Tierra Group completed a siting study to evaluate six potential sites for a paste TSF. Tierra Group prepared civil layouts for each TSF, determining embankment fill volumes, evaluating required diversions for upstream catchment areas, and pipeline corridor layouts. Tierra Group…

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Jaguar Mines

Jaguar's gold operations, Turmalina, Paciência and Caeté, are located in the Iron Quadrangle region, a prolific greenstone belt near the city of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Jaguar controls 27,357 hectares of mineral concessions in this…

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Dona Lake DSR

Serving on Newmont Goldcorp’s Tailings Independent Review Board, Tierra Group provided an Independent Dam Safety Review for the Dona Lake Mine tailings storage facility in Pickle Lake, Ontario, Canada.

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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…

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Contonga Mine

Contonga, a 990 tpd underground Zinc mine located in Perú’s Ancash Region, has been in operation for more than 25 years. Tierra Group team members assisted Nyrstar’s acquisition due diligence team by performing a fatal flaw analysis of Contonga’s Tucush…

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