The impact of large-scale failure of the external waste dump at the South Field mine--Crisis management and cost for the stabilisation of the failure

摘要

In 30 April 2004, a large scale slope failure occurred at the external waste dump of the South Field Mine, in the Western Macedonia Lignite Center, Greece. The South Field Mine located in the South part of Ptolemais lignite basin is one of the largest lignite mines in Europe with an annual production of 18-22 million tons of lignite and total excavations of about 100 million m~3. Current mine production covers the energy needs of the nearby power station of Agios Dimitrios with a total capacity of 1595 MW. The unfavourable ground surface of the area where the dump is located (old river bed, the inclination of ground surface approx 4 percent) and the deposition of the overburden materials over a spring resulted in the development of high pore water pressure in the non consolidated clayly and marly materials.