Antamina tailings dam

Principia analysed the stability of the tailings impoundment of the Antamina mine (Perú). It is one of the largest copper mines in the world and is located at an altitude of more that 4000 m above sea level.

We studied the stability of the dam in the course of the design earthquakes, first with the current dam configuration up to elevation 4120 m, and then with the final height when elevation 4165 m is eventually reached. It may be noted that, in the latter configuration, the dam will be 280 m high, the second tallest tailings dam in the world.