ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a critical review of mining slope engineering and design principles, including challenges confronted and countermeasures taken. It provides an overview of the slope engineering in open-pit mines of China, including a summary of progress and main challenges confronted. From the engineering point of view the mining slopes are of its particular characteristics being different from other engineered slopes of infrastructures. The eventual goal for open pit mine slope engineering is to seek an optimal point between slope safety and economic benefits of the mine. The China Safety regulations for metal and nonmetal opencast mines gives detail regulations on slope engineering, including the slope height, angle, maximum number of combined segments, water control and drainage for each working phase, and the blast requirements for the final slope. China is one of the few countries which have many opencast workings.
