ABSTRACT
Waste rocks are products of mining activity and normally placed nearby the mining area; thus, Waste Rock Dumps (WRD) are formed. WRD slopes are important engineered slopes and their geotechnical stability has received increasing attention due to their relatively large sizes and the potential impact of failure, as reported by many case histories in literature. The development of the closure plan for a gold mine in California, USA involves evaluation of slope stability of the WRDs of more than 100 m in height. Documentation of the construction practices and conformance testing of the WRDs is largely absent from the site files. The WRD slope profiles were developed based on preconstruction and current topography in conjunction with the results of the drilling program. Field investigation indicates that the WRD materials are highly heterogeneous with a wide range of grain size distribution. The WRD material can be generalized with a classification of sandy, silty gravel with cobbles and boulders.
