Abstract:

Tailings pond is one of the major hazard installations in safety production and the detection of mined-out areas is the key to investigate and control potential safety hazard to tailings pond. In order to verify the effectiveness of detection, explore the anomalous characteristics and obtain its interpretation with transient electromagnetic method（TEM）. Firstly, three known tunnels, which depth is from 11 m to 106 m, and a tunnel are simulated on the spot and achieve all the anomaly response of high resistance correspondingly. Secondly, the 10 probe profiles of total 2 975 m length on ground of the tailings pond were laid depend on the simulation results  and obtained a similar result of high resistance anomalies. Finally, the profiles No.Ⅰand No.Ⅱ were taken as examples after the data processing, and the anomaly results were explained. According to the report of mineral exploration and the mining design, the results of interpreting agreed with location of ore occurrence and mining technology. The results show that TEM be applied to find hidden dangers of the tailings pond and detect mined-out area is economic, fast and effective, and this method even has an obvious response for the “semi-blind” area of less than 20 m depth if the collapse of the consequences will be serious.

Key words: TEM, tailings pond, potential safety hazard, mined-out areas, gold mines