Tsunami generation by potential, partially submerged rockslides in an abandoned open-pit mine: the case of Black Lake, Quebec, Canada

The Black Lake rockslide is located on the east wall of an open-pit mine initially operated by LAB Chrysotile near Thetford Mines, Quebec. Movements were observed in July 2012 when a volume of 2.0 × 10 7 m 3 was mobilized, destroying a large portion of Highway 112. Mining operations ceased in 2012,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian geotechnical journal 2018-12, Vol.55 (12), p.1769-1780
Main Authors: Leblanc, Jonathan, Turmel, Dominique, Locat, Jacques, Harbitz, Carl B, Løvholt, Finn, Kim, Jihwan, Grenon, Martin, Locat, Ariane
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abandoned mines
active rockslide
Canada
Chrysotile
Environmental aspects
glissement partiellement submergé
glissement rocheux actif
Infrastructure (Economics)
Lakes
landslide-generated tsunami
mine à ciel ouvert
Mines
Mining
modélisation numérique
numerical modeling
Open pit mining
open-pit mine
partially submerged landslide
Rockslides
Shutdowns
Tsunami generation
tsunami généré par un glissement de terrain
Tsunamis
Water
Water depth
Water levels
Wave generation
Wave height
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Summary:The Black Lake rockslide is located on the east wall of an open-pit mine initially operated by LAB Chrysotile near Thetford Mines, Quebec. Movements were observed in July 2012 when a volume of 2.0 × 10 7 m 3 was mobilized, destroying a large portion of Highway 112. Mining operations ceased in 2012, causing the complete shutdown of the pumping system whose goal was to prevent the rise of water level in the pit. As the water level increases in the pit, it is essential to determine the potential of tsunami generation by possible partially submerged rockslides and to understand the potential impacts. A series of possible scenarios have been analysed with regard to velocity and acceleration of the potential rockslide as well as the corresponding wave generation and inundation. Results from the simulation show that when the factor of safety of the global slope is less than unity, inundation would not reach the potentially vulnerable infrastructures. Maximum wave height will vary as a function of the filling of the lake, and the lower wave height relative to water depth will happen when the lake is completely filled.
ISSN:0008-3674
1208-6010
DOI:10.1139/cgj-2017-0477