ABSTRACT
The Copper Mine is located in central India in the state of Pradesh and is India’s largest base-metal open-cut mine. The existing open pit is currently about 100 metres deep and produces annually about 11 million tonnes of waste rock and 2 million tonnes of chalcopyrite ore from a wide quartz reef in a granite environment.
As part of a study for the optimum exploitation of the deposit, geotechnical and hydrogeological studies were undertaken to determine open pit batter slopes for a possible open-cut to 200 metres depth and conditions for underground mining to 600 metres. The investigation extended to depths of 700 metres and vibrating wire piezometers were installed to depths of 600 metres.
This paper presents details of some of the aspects of the installation of these and other piezometers, their monitoring, piezometer response to a monsoonal environment and statistical methods used in the prediction of groundwater inflow into the proposed open-cut and underground mine workings.
