Could regular satellite InSAR monitoring have helped prevent the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure?
Skevi Perdikou, Andrew Lees
In the proceedings of: GeoSaskatoon 2023: 76th Canadian Geotechnical ConferenceSession: Dams and Embankments 2
ABSTRACT: The use of space technologies for infrastructure asset monitoring and assessment has seen a great increase in recent years. New satellite constellations and advancing technologies have contributed to the endorsement of satellite-based assessments for infrastructure assets. In September 2022, a major breach occurred in the Jagersfontein diamond mine tailings storage facility in Free State, South Africa. A mudslide occurred that killed one person and swept away nine homes. This paper presents the results from a satellite-based analysis using the freely available Sentinel-1 data from the Copernicus constellation. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analysis was used to retrospectively measure displacement in the dam prior to the failure. Results showed clearly increasing dam movements in the vicinity of the south-eastern collapse long before the breach. Had this or any other suitable monitoring technique been in place prior to the collapse, adequate warning would have been provided to deploy appropriate prevention, mitigation or evacuation measures
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Perdikou, Skevi, Lees, Andrew (2023) Could regular satellite InSAR monitoring have helped prevent the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure? in GEO2023. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@inproceedings{Perdikou_GEO2023_113,
author = {{Perdikou, Skevi}, {Lees, Andrew}}
title = {Could regular satellite InSAR monitoring have helped prevent the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure? }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 76th Canadian Geotechnical Conference}
year = {2023}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }
title = {Could regular satellite InSAR monitoring have helped prevent the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure? }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 76th Canadian Geotechnical Conference}
year = {2023}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }