Mining

Mining clients choose Geosyntec for advanced and reliable solutions in tailings management, approvals, hydrogeology and mine water, environment, and mine closure.

For decades, Geosyntec has provided technical services and practical solutions to the mining industry in Australia and internationally. We are familiar with the unique challenges faced by the extractive industry and understand the critical decisions associated with addressing environmental and engineering issues throughout the life of a mine.

Our mining services team includes geologists, hydrogeologists, geochemists, approvals specialists, biologists, and mine-closure specialists. In addition, we offer services at our in-house geotechnical testing lab.

On behalf of mining clients, we solve complex environmental and engineering challenges to reduce life-cycle cost, improve environmental performance, reduce long-term environmental liability, simplify mine closure, and maximise post-mine land use and conversion. In addition, we support mine development and project evaluation using our deep understandings of market value, government regulations, the need for innovative technology advances, and the importance of corporate social responsibility and social governance.

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Geotechnical Engineering for Mines

Mine Geotechnical Services

• Planning and scoping studies
• Investigation supervision
• Parameter verification
• Design and analysis
• Risk and optimisation studies

Our geotechnical engineers have vast experience providing investigation, interpretation, and design recommendations for a wide range of civil projects, including foundations, earthworks, cut-and-fill slope stability, and retaining structures. Our recommendations and designs are accompanied by detailed geotechnical analysis using the most advanced geotechnical software.

From major infrastructure in built-up areas to remote locations, our geotechnical engineering services factor in site conditions and design for soil/structural interaction.

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Civil Engineering for Mines

Mine Civil Engineering Services

• Earthworks
• Hydrology and flood analysis
• Stormwater management and drainage design
• Water balance (using Goldsim)
• Hydraulic structures (spillways, culverts, levees, sediment basins)
• Road, pavement and hardstand design
• Water management plans and erosion and sediment control plans

Civil engineering forms the backbone of the mine engineering services we provide, allowing us to combine our geotechnical and water engineering expertise to design more efficient structures. Our team also includes structural engineers, hydrological modellers, and pavement engineers who focus on getting the best from existing site conditions.

Geosyntec has invested heavily in acquiring state-of-the-art modelling software to allow pragmatic decision-making and management of site-specific risks, rather than just applying the relevant standards.

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Geosynthetic Engineering for Mines

Mine Geosynthetic Services

• Geomembrane liner selection and design
• Geocomposite drainage systems
• Leak detection and collection systems
• Geostructures (bladder tanks/floating covers)
• Independent liner integrity testing (LIT)
• Soil improvement using geogrids and geotextiles

Geosyntec leads the industry in innovative use of geosynthetics for challenging applications, pushing the technology and materials to the limit, including in the use of specialised geomembrane liners and geosynthetics in the coal seam gas industry, and for the bulk storage of extremely aggressive process fluids. Our storage tank designs are a more flexible and economic alternative to large steel tanks for mine and refinery applications. We apply our technical understanding to choose the grades and combination of geosynthetics for each project.

Geosyntec also utilises the skills of world-renowned experts and researchers to complement our in-house skills to employ the latest products that optimise designs for our clients.

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Tailings & Water Dams Management

Tailings and Water Dam Services

• Dam design (OOM, PFS, FS)
• GISTM compliance services
• Closure design and planning
• Risk reviews
• Dam break analysis
• Consequence category assessment
• Tailings characterisation
• Tailings deposition modelling
• Operational plans
• Emergency planning
• Annual inspections
• Constructability reviews

Geosyntec has a proven record of providing a dynamic and flexible design process that creates safe, constructible, fit-for-purpose assets. Clients benefit from significant cost and schedule improvements and gain the highest level of confidence in the asset’s integrity. We have extensive experience in tailing dams management, geotechnical and geosynthetic engineering, water management, and water balance and tailings deposition behaviour.

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Peer Review / Subject Matter Expert

Geosyntec can also assist with the design of delivery and decant infrastructure. We specialise in the use of Muck3D to accurately predict tailings deposition and maximise storage efficiency.

• Peer review / subject matter expertise
• Peer review services
• Design development
• Internal and external approvals
• Interaction with operations
• Contracting and procurement strategy
• Tendering and evaluation
• Execution planning

Early involvement of Geosyntec’s subject matter experts will improve your project’s outcomes. Geosyntec offers expert project support in-house or externally as your trusted consulting firm. We are experienced in contracting and procurement, project management, execution, commissioning, and handover of projects.

We are dedicated to safety and delivering tailored design solutions with a holistic project management approach where quality assurance is front of mind. This allows us to consistently deliver on clients’ requirements and proactively manage risks.

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Construction Support & Quality Assurance

• Inspections
• Material testing and acceptance criteria
• Construction verification and certification
• Claims management and contractual dispute resolution
• Value engineering
• Temporary structures
• Quality assurance management
• Auditing of external soil laboratories

Geosyntec specialists provide all aspects of construction engineering support, from material testing and instrumentation to survey and final project close-out reporting.

We apply appropriate and accurate quality assurance and quality control testing throughout projects. We can also assist with the compilation of as-built reports and monitoring and maintenance plans.

Geosyntec’s engineers are contractually astute and can provide support for relevant claims or assist in resolution of relevant contractual disputes.