Electrical and seismic tomography used to image the structure of a tailings pond at the abandoned Kettara mine, Morocco

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dc.contributor.authorLghoul, Meriem
dc.contributor.authorTeixidó, Teresa
dc.contributor.authorPeña, José Antonio
dc.contributor.authorHakkou, Rachid
dc.contributor.authorKchikach, Azzouz
dc.date.accessioned2013-08-08T18:26:36Z
dc.date.available2013-08-08T18:26:36Z
dc.date.copyright2012
dc.date.issued2012-03
dc.description.abstractThe Kettara site (Morocco) is an abandoned pyrrhotite ore mine in a semi-arid environment. The site contains more than 3 million tons of mine waste that were deposited on the surface without concern for environmental consequences. Tailings were stockpiled in a pond, in a dyke, and in piles over an area of approximately 16 ha and have generated acid mine drainage (AMD) for more than 29 years. Geophysical methods have been used at the Kettara mine site to determine the nature of the geological substrate of the tailings pond, the internal structure of the mine wastes, and to investigate the pollution zones associated with sulphide waste dumps. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and seismic refraction data were acquired, processed, and interpreted; the results from ERT and seismic refraction were complementary. A topographical survey of the tailings disposal area was also undertaken to estimate the volume of wastes and quantify the AMD process. Two-dimensional inverse models were used to investigate the geophysical data and indicated alteration zones at depth. It was determined that the material could be classified into three categories: tailings, with low resistivity (5–15 Ω m) and low velocity (500–1,800 m/s); altered, black shales, with intermediate resistivity (20–60 Ω m) and velocity (2,000–3,500 m/s), and; materials with high resistivity and velocity (>60 Ω m and >4,000 m/s, respectively), including unaltered shales associated with quartzite seams. The low-resistivity zone generates AMD, which migrates downward through fractures and micro-fractures. The substrate is composed of broken and altered shale, which facilitates AMD infiltration.en
dc.formatTexten
dc.format.extent1 digital file (p. 53-61)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationMeriem Lghoul, Teresa Teixidó, José Antonio Peña, Rachid Hakkou, Azzouz Kchikach, Roger Guérin, et al. (2012). Electrical and Seismic Tomography Used to Image the Structure of a Tailings Pond at the Abandoned Kettara Mine, Morocco. Mine Water and the Environment, 31(1), 53-61.doi:10.1007/s10230-012-0172-xen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10625/51483
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringeren
dc.subjectACID MINE DRAINAGEen
dc.subjectMINE WASTEen
dc.subjectELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHYen
dc.subjectKETTARA MINE SITEen
dc.subjectSEISMIC REFRACTION TOMOGRAPHYen
dc.subjectENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGEen
dc.subjectTOPOGRAPHYen
dc.titleElectrical and seismic tomography used to image the structure of a tailings pond at the abandoned Kettara mine, Moroccoen
dc.typeJournal Article (peer-reviewed)en
idrc.copyright.holderSpringer-Verlag
idrc.dspace.accessIDRC Onlyen
idrc.noaccessDue to copyright restrictions the full text of this research output is not available in the IDRC Digital Library or by request from the IDRC Library. / Compte tenu des restrictions relatives au droit d'auteur, le texte intégral de cet extrant de recherche n'est pas accessible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI, et il n'est pas possible d'en faire la demande à la Bibliothéque du CRDI.en
idrc.project.componentnumber104519005
idrc.project.number104519
idrc.project.titleInternational Research Chairs Initiative (IRCI)en
idrc.recordsserver.bcsnumberIC01-3412-150
idrc.rims.adhocgroupIDRC SUPPORTEDen

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IDRC Research Results / Résultats de recherches du CRDI
2010-2019 / Années 2010-2019
Tackling mine waste for better environment / Régler le cas des rejets miniers qui minent l’environnement