chronology of major tailings dam failures
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HOME WISE Uranium Project > Tailings Dam Safety >
Chronology of major tailings dam failures
(from 1960)
(last updated 18 Dec 2012)
Note: Due to limited availability of data, this compilation is in no way complete
Date LocationParent
companyOre type
Type of
IncidentRelease Impacts
2012,Dec.17
formerGullbridgemine site,Newfoundland,Canada
copperembankmentdam failure,width 50 m
non-consumptionwater advisory
has beenissued for theTown of SouthBrook (viewdetails -Newfoundlandand LabradorDepartment ofEnvironmentand
Conservation)
2012,Nov.
4
Sotkamo,Kainuu
province,Finland
TalvivaaraMining
Company Plc
nickel,(uranium by-
productplanned)
leak fromgypsum pondthrough a
"funnel-shapedhole"
hundreds ofthousands ofcubic metres of
contaminatedwaste water
nickel and zincconcentrationsin nearbySnow Riverexceeded thevalues that areharmful toorganisms
tenfold or evena hundredfold,uraniumconcentrationsmore thantenfold (viewdetails)
tailingsdamaged
http://www.wise-uranium.org/upfi.html#SOTKAMOSPILL12http://www.talvivaara.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/indexm.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/upfi.html#SOTKAMOSPILL12http://www.talvivaara.com/http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/waterres/southbrook/http://www.wise-uranium.org/indexm.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/index.html -
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2011,Jul. 21
Mianyang City,SongpanCounty,SichuanProvince,China
XichuanMinjiangElectrolyticManganesePlant
manganese
tailings damdamaged fromlandslidescaused fromheavy rains
?
residentialroads andhouses, forcing272 people toleave; tailingswere washedinto the Fujiang
River, leaving200,000people withoutdrinking watersupply
2010,Oct. 4
Kolontr,Hungary(Aerial View:
Google Maps)
MAL MagyarAlumnium
bauxitetailings damfailure (view
details)
700,000 cubicmetres of
caustic red mud
several townsflooded, 10people killed,approx. 120people injured8 squarekilometresflooded
2010,Jun.25
Huancavelica,Peru
Unidad MineraCaudalosaChica
?tailings damfailure
21,420 cubicmetres oftailings
contaminationof ro Escaleraand roOpamayo 110kmdownstream
2009,Aug.29
Karamken,Magadanregion, Russia
? gold
tailings damfailure afterheavy rain(seebackground info
- SRIC2004)
?
eleven homeswere carriedaway by themudflow; atleast oneperson waskilled
2009,May14
HuayuanCounty,XiangxiAutonomousPrefecture,HunanProvince,China
? manganese
tailings damfailure (capacity:50,000 cubicmetres)
?
The landslide
set off by thetailings damfailuredestroyed ahome, killingthree andinjuring fourpeople.
http://www.sric.org/voices/2004/v5n3/Karamken.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafko.htmlhttp://www.mal.hu/http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.901912,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kolont%C3%A1r,+Hungary&ll=47.089293,17.504096&spn=0.018087,0.027595&t=h&z=15 -
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2008,Dec.22
Kingston fossilplant,Harriman,Tennessee,USA
TennesseeValley Authority coal ash
retention wallfailure
Release of 5.4million cubicyards [4.1million cubicmetres] of ashyslurry
The ash slidecovered 400acres [1.6squarekilometres] asdeep as 6 feet[1.83 metres].
The wave ofash and mudtoppled powerlines, coveredSwan PondRoad andruptured a gasline. Itdamaged 12homes, and
one personhad to berescued,though no onewas seriouslyhurt.
2008,Sep. 8
Taoshi, LinfenCity, Xiangfencounty, Shanxiprovince,China
Tashan miningcompany
iron
Collapse of awaste-productreservoir at anillegal mineduring rainfall
?
A mudslideseveral metreshigh buried a
market, severahomes and athree-storeybuilding. Atleast 254people aredead and 35injured.
2006,Nov.6
Nchanga,Chingola,Zambia
KonkolaCopper MinesPlc (KCM)(51% VedantaResources plc
)
copper
failure of tailingsslurry pipelinefrom Nchangatailings leachingplant toMuntimpatailings dumps
?
Release of
highly acidictailings intoKafue river;highconcentrationsof copper,manganese,cobalt in riverwater; drinkingwater supply
http://www.vedantaresources.com/http://www.kcm.co.zm/http://www.tva.gov/ -
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of downstreamcommunitiesshut down
2006,April
30
near Miliang,Zhen'anCounty,Shangluo,
ShaanxiProvince,China
Zhen'an CountyGold Mining Co.
Ltd.
gold
tailings damfailure duringsixth upraising
of dam
?
The landslideburied about40 rooms of
ninehouseholds,leaving 17residentsmissing. Fiveinjured peoplewere taken tohospital. Morethan 130 localresidents have
beenevacuated.Toxicpotassiumcyanide wasreleased intothe Huashuiriver,contaminatingit approx. 5
kmdownstream.
2005,April14
Bangs Lake,JacksonCounty,Mississippi,USA
MississippiPhosphatesCorp.
phosphate
phosphogypsumstack failure,because thecompany wastrying toincrease thecapacity of the
pond at a fasterrate thannormal,according toOfficials withthe MississippiDepartment ofEnvironmentalQuality (thecompany has
approx. 17million gallonsof acidic liquid(64,350 m3)
liquid pouredinto adjacentmarsh lands,causingvegetation todie
http://www.missphosphates.com/ -
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blamed the spillon unusuallyheavy rainfall,though)
2004,Nov.30
Pinchi Lake,BritishColumbia,Canada
Teck ComincoLtd.
mercury
tailings dam(100-metreslong and 12-metres high)collapses duringreclamationwork
6,000 to 8,000m3 of rock, dirtand wastewater
tailings spilledinto 5,500 haPinchi Lake
2004,Sep. 5
Riverview,Florida, USA
Cargill CropNutrition
phosphate
a dike at the topof a 100-foot-high gypsumstack holding
150-milliongallons ofpolluted waterbroke afterwaves driven byHurricaneFrances bashedthe dike'ssouthwestcorner
60 milliongallons(227,000 m3)of acidic liquid
liquid spilledinto ArchieCreek thatleads toHillsboroughBay
2004,May22
Partizansk,Primorski Krai,Russia
Dalenergo coal ash
A ring dike,enclosing anarea of roughly
1 km2 andholding roughly
20 million cubicmeters of coalash, broke. Thebreak left a holeroughly 50meter wide inthe dam.
approximately160,000 cubicmeters of ash
The ash flowedthrough adrainage canalinto a tributaryto thePartizanskayaRiver whichempties in toNahodka Bayin PrimorskiKrai (east ofVladivostok).For detailsdownloadSept. 2004report(PDF) by PaulRobinson,
http://www.sric.org/mining/docs/Partizansk%20Coal%20Ash%20Dam%20Break%20and%20Spill.pdfhttp://www.cargillcropnutrition.com/http://www.teckcominco.com/ -
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SRIC
2004,March20
Malvsi, Aude,France
Comurhex(Cogma/Areva)
decantationandevaporationpond ofuranium
conversionplant
dam failure afterheavy rain inpreceding year(view details)
30,000 cubicmetres of liquidand slurries
release led toelevated nitrateconcentrationsof up to 170mg/L in thecanal of
Tauran forseveral weeks
2003,Oct. 3
Cerro Negro,Petorca prov.,Quinta region,Chile
Cia MineraCerro Negro
coppertailings damfailure
50,000 tonnesof tailings
tailings flowed20 kilometersdownstreamthe ro LaLigua
2002,Aug.27 /Sep.11
San Marcelino,Zambales,Philippines
Dizon CopperSilver Mines,Inc.
overflow andspillway failureof twoabandonedtailings damsafter heavy rain
(view details)
?
Aug. 27: some
tailings spilledintoMapanuepeLake andeventually intothe Sto. TomaRiverSep. 11: lowlying villagesflooded with
mine waste;250 familiesevacuated;nobodyreported hurtso far
2001,Jun.22
Sebastio das
guas Claras,Nova Limadistrict, MinasGerais, Brazil
Minerao RioVerde Ltda
iron mine waste damfailure (viewdetails)
?
tailings wavetraveled atleast 6 km,
killing at leasttwo mineworkers, threemore workersare missing
2000,Oct.
Nandancounty,Guangxi ? ?
tailings dam?
at least 15people killed,100 missing;
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18 province,China
failure more than 100housesdestroyed
2000,Oct.11
Inez, MartinCounty,Kentucky,USA
Martin CountyCoalCorporation(100% A.T.Massey CoalCompany, Inc.
, Richmond,VA (100%Fluor Corp. ))
coal
tailings damfailure fromcollapse of anundergroundmine beneaththe slurryimpoundment(view details)
250 milliongallons(950,000 m3)of coal wasteslurry releasedinto localstreams
About 75 miles(120 km) ofrivers and
streams turnedan irridescentblack, causinga fish kill alongthe Tug Forkof the BigSandy Riverand some of itstributaries.Towns along
the Tug wereforced to turnoff theirdrinking waterintakes.
2000,Sep. 8
Aitik mine,Gllivare,Sweden
Boliden Ltd. copper
tailings damfailure frominsufficientperviousness offilter drain(view details)
release of 2.5million m3 ofliquid into anadjacent settling
pond,subsequentrelease of 1.5million m3 ofwater (carryingsome residualslurry) from thesettling pondinto theenvironment
2000,Mar.10
Borsa,Romania
Remin S.A.tailings damfailure afterheavy rain
22,000 t ofheavy-metalcontaminatedtailings
contaminationof the Vaserstream,tributary of theTisza River.ViewRomanianGovt. report UNEP repor
http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare/docs/BaiaBorsa/baiabrosa-final.pdfhttp://www.mappm.ro/infpresa/noutati/engleza/Borsa16032000.htmhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafai.htmlhttp://www.bolidenltd.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafin.htmlhttp://www.fluor.com/http://www.fluor.com/investor/atmassey_main.asp -
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(527k PDF)
2000,Jan.30
Baia Mare,Romania
Aurul S.A.(Esmeralda
Exploration ,Australia (50%),Remin S.A.(44.8%))
gold
recoveryfrom oldtailings
tailings damcrest failureafter overflowcaused fromheavy rain andmelting snow(view details)
100,000 m3 of
cyanide-contaminatedliquid
contaminationof theSomes/Szamostream,tributary of theTisza River,killing tonnesof fish andpoisoning thedrinking waterof more than 2million peoplein Hungary
1999,Apr.26
Placer, Surigaodel Norte,Philippines
Manila MiningCorp. (MMC)
goldtailings spillfrom damagedconcrete pipe
700,000 tonnesof cyanidetailings
17 homesburied, 51hectares ofricelandswamped
1998,Dec.31
Huelva, SpainFertiberia ,Foret
phosphatedam failureduring storm(view details)
50,000 m3 ofacidic and toxicwater
1998,
Apr.25
Los Frailes,
Aznalcllar,Spain
Boliden Ltd. ,Canada
zinc, lead,
copper,silver
dam failure from
foundationfailure (viewdetails)
4-5 million m3
of toxic waterand slurry
thousands ofhectares of
farmlandcovered withslurry
1997,Dec.7
MulberryPhosphate,Polk County,Florida, USA
MulberryPhosphates, Inc. phosphate
phosphogypsumstack failure
200,000 m3 ofphosphogypsumprocess water
biota in theAlafia Rivereliminated
1997,
Oct.22
Pinto Valley,
Arizona, USA BHP Copper copper
tailings dam
slope failure
230,000 m3 of
tailings and minerock
tailings flow
covers 16hectares
1996,Nov.12
Amatista,Nazca, Peru
? ?
liquefactionfailure ofupstream-typetailings damduringearthquake
more than300,000 m3 oftailings
flow runout ofabout 600meters, spillinto river,croplandscontaminated
http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare/docs/BaiaBorsa/baiabrosa-final.pdfhttp://www.bhp.com.au/environment/env98/case/pinto.htmhttp://www.bhp.com.au/http://www.mulberrycorp.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdaflf.htmlhttp://www.bolidenltd.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/ptail.html#HUELVAhttp://www.fertiberia.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafbm.htmlhttp://www.esmeralda.com.au/http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare/docs/BaiaBorsa/baiabrosa-final.pdf -
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1996,Aug.29
El Porco,Bolivia
Comsur (62%),Rio Tinto(33%)
zinc, lead,silver
dam failure 400,000 tonnes
300 km ofPilcomayorivercontaminated
1996,Mar.24
Marcopper,
MarinduqueIsland,Philippines
Placer DomeInc. , Canada(40%)
copper
Loss of tailings
from storage pitthrough olddrainage tunnel
1.6 million m3
Evacuation of1200residents, 18
km of riverchannel filledwith tailings,US$ 80 milliondamage
1995,
Dec.
Golden Cross,
New Zealand
Coeur d'Alne
, Idaho, USA
gold
Dam movementof damcontaining 3million tonnes of
tailings(continuing)(view details )
Nil (so far) Nil (so far)
1995,Sep. 2
Placer, Surigaodel Norte,Philippines
Manila MiningCorp.
goldDam foundationfailure
50,000 m312 peoplekilled, coastalpollution
1995,Aug.19
Omai, Guyana
Cambior Inc. ,
Canada (65%),Golden StarResources Inc.,Colorado, USA(30%)
gold
tailings damfailure from
internal damerosion(preliminaryreport ontechnicalcausation)
4.2 million m3of cyanideslurry
80 km ofEssequiboRiver declaredenvironmentaldisaster zone(view details
)
1994,
Nov.19
HopewellMine,
HillsboroughCounty,Florida, USA
IMC-Agrico phosphate dam failure
Nearly 1.9million m3 of
water from aclay settlingpond
spill intonearbywetlands and
the AlafiaRiver,Keysvilleflooded
1994,
Payne CreekMine, Polk
6.8 million m3of water from a
majority of spilcontained onadjacentmining area;500,000 m3
http://www.imc-agrico.com/http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2651/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdgr.htmlhttp://www.cambior.com/http://bitz.co.nz/watchdog/http://www.coeur.com/http://www.placerdome.com/http://www.riotinto.com/ -
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Oct. 2 County,Florida, USA
IMC-Agrico phosphate dam failure clay settlingpond
released intoHickeyBranch, atributary ofPayne Creek
1994,Oct.
Fort Meade,Florida, USA Cargill phosphate ?
76,000 m3 ofwater
spill into Peace
River near ForMeade
1994,June
IMC-Agrico,Florida, USA
IMC-Agrico phosphate
Sinkhole opensinphosphogypsumstake
?
Release ofgympsum andwater intogroundwater
1994,Feb.22
Harmony,Merriespruit,South Africa
Harmony GoldMines
gold
Dam wallbreachfollowing heavyrain
600,000 m3
tailings traveled4 km
downstream,17 peoplekilled,extensivedamage toresidentialtownship
1994,
Feb.14
Olympic Dam,
Roxby Downs,South Australia WMC Ltd.
copper,
uranium
leakage oftailings dam
during 2 yearsor more
release of up to5 million m3 of
contaminatedwater intosubsoil
?
1993,Oct.
Gibsonton,Florida, USA
Cargill phosphate ? ?
Fish killedwhen acidicwater spilledinto ArchieCreek
1993 Marsa, Peru
Marsa Mining
Corp. gold
dam failure from
overtopping ? 6 people killed
1992,Mar.1
Maritsa Istok1, near StaraZagora,Bulgaria
? ash/cinder dam failure frominundation ofthe beach
500,000 m3 ?
1992,Jan.
No.2 tailingspond, Padcal,Luzon,
Philex MiningCorp. copper
Collapse ofdam wall(foundation
80 milliontonnes ?
http://www.cargill.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/ucwmc.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/uoaus.html#OLYMPICDhttp://www.imc-agrico.com/http://www.cargill.com/http://www.imc-agrico.com/ -
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Philippines failure)
1991,Aug.23
Sullivan mine,Kimberley,BritishColumbia,
Canada
Cominco Ltd lead/zinc
dam failure(liquefaction inold tailingsfoundationduring
construction ofincrementalraise)
75,000 m3
the slidedmaterial wascontained in an
adjacent pond
1989,Aug.25
Stancil,Perryville,Maryland,USA
?sand andgravel
dam failureduring cappingof the tailingsafter heavy rain
38,000 m3
tailingsflowsidecovered 5000m2
1988,Apr.30
Jinduicheng,Shaanxiprovince,China
? molybdenum
breach of damwall (spillwayblockagecaused pondlevel to rise toohigh)
700,000 m3approx. 20people killed
1988,Jan.19
TennesseeConsolidatedNo.1, GraysCreek, TN,
USA
TennesseeConsolidatedCoal Co.
coal
dam wall failurefrom internalerosion, causedfrom failure ofan abandonedoutlet pipe
250,000 m3 ?
1988Riverview,Florida, USA
Gardinier (nowCargill )
phosphate ? acidic spill
Thousands offish killed atmouth of AlafiaRiver
1987,April8
MontcoalNo.7, RaleighCounty, West
Virginia, USA
Peabody CoalCo. (nowPeabody
Energy )
coaldam failure afterspillway pipebreach
87,000 cubicmeters of waterand slurry
tailings flow 80kmdownstream
1986,May
Itabirito, MinasGerais, Brazil
ItaminosComercio deMinerios
? dam wall burst 100,000 tonnestailings flow 12kmdownstream
1986Huangmeishan,China
? irondam failure fromseepage/slopeinstability
?19 peoplekilled
http://www.peabodyenergy.com/http://www.cargill.com/http://www.cominco.com/ -
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1985,July19
Stava, Trento,Italy
Prealpi Mineraia fluorite
dam failure,caused frominsufficientsafety marginsand inadequatedecant pipeconstruction(view details
)
200,000 m3
tailings flow4.2 kmdownstream at90 km/h; 268people killed,62 buildingsdestroyed(view details
)
1985,Mar.3
Veta de AguaNo.1, Chile
? copper
dam wall failure,due toliquefactionduringearthquake
280,000 m3tailings flow 5kmdownstream
1985,Mar.
3
Cerro Negro
No.4, Chile
Cia Minera
Cerro Negro
copper
dam wall failure,due toliquefaction
duringearthquake
500,000 m3tailings flow 8km
downstream
1985Olinghouse,Wadsworth,Nevada, USA
OlinghouseMining Co.
goldembankmentcollapse fromsaturation
25,000 m3tailings flow1.5 kmdownstream
1982,Nov.
8
Sipalay,NegrosOccidental,
Philippines
MarinduqueMining and
Industrial Corp.
copper
dam failure, dueto slippage offoundations on
clayey soils
28 milliontonnes
widespreadinundation ofagricultural
land up to 1.5m high
1981,
Dec.18
Ages, HarlanCounty,
Kentucky,USA
Eastover Mining
Co. coal
dam failure after
heavy rain
96,000 m3 coal
refuse slurry
the slurry wavetraveled theLeft Fork ofAges Creek1.3 kmdownstream, 1person was
killed, 3 homesdestroyed, 30homesdamaged, fishkill in CloverFork of theCumberlandRiver
1981,Balka
tailings travel
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Jan.20
Chuficheva,Lebedinsky,Russia
? iron dam failure 3.5 million m3 distance 1.3km
1980,Oct.
13
Tyrone, New
Mexico, USA
Phelps Dodge copper
dam wallbreach, due torapid increase indam wall height,
causing highinternal porepressure
2 million m3
tailings flow 8kmdownstream
and inundatefarmland
1979,July16
Church Rock,New Mexico,USA
United Nuclear uranium
dam wallbreach, due todifferentialfoundationsettlement
370,000 m3 ofradioactivewater, 1,000tonnes ofcontaminatedsediment
Contaminationof Rio Puercosediments upto 110 kmdownstream
1979orearlier
(unidentified),BritishColumbia,Canada
? ?piping in thesand beach ofthe tailings dam
40,000 m3 ofponded water
considerablepropertydamage
1978,Jan.
31
Arcturus,Zimbabwe
CorsynConsolidated
Mines
gold
slurry overflowafter continuousrain over
several days
30,000 tonnes
1 personkilled,extensivesiltation to
waterway andadjoining roughpasture
1978,Jan.14
MochikoshiNo.1, Japan
MochikoshiGold MiningCompany
gold
dam failure, dueto liquefactionduringearthquake
80,000 m3
1 personkilled, tailingsflow 7-8 kmdownstream
1977,Feb. 1
Homestake,Milan, NewMexico, USA
HomestakeMiningCompany
uranium
dam failure, due
to rupture ofplugged slurrypipeline
30,000 m3 no impactsoutside themine site
1976,Mar.1
Zlevoto,Yugoslavia
? lead, zinc
dam failure, dueto high phreaticsurface andseepagebreakout on theembankment
300,000 m3
tailings flowreached andpollutednearby river
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face
1975,
June
Silverton,
Colorado,USA ? (metal) dam failure 116,000 tonnes
tailings flowslide pollutednearly 100miles (160 km)of the Animas
river and itstributaries;severepropertydamage; noinjuries
1975,
Apr.
Madjarevo,
Bulgaria ?
lead, zinc,
gold
rising of tailingsabove designlevel caused
overloading ofthe decanttower andcollectors
250,000 m3 ?
1975Mike Horse,Montana, USA
? lead, zincdam failure afterheavy rain
150,000 m3 ?
1974,
Nov.11
Bafokeng,South Africa ? platinum
embankmentfailure by
concentratedseepage andpiping throughcracks
3 million m3
12 peoplekilled in a mineshaft inundated
by the tailings;tailings flow 45kmdownstream
1974,Jun. 1
Deneen Mica,NorthCarolina, USA
? micadam failure afterheavy rain
38,000 m3tailingsreleased to anadjacent river
1973(unidentified),SouthwesternUSA
? copper
dam failure fromincreased porepressure duringconstruction ofincrementalraise
170,000 m3tailings traveled25 kmdownstream
the tailingstraveled 27 kmdownstream,125 people
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1972,Feb.26
Buffalo Creek,West Virginia,USA
Pittston Coal coal
collapse oftailings damafter heavy rain(view Citizens'Commissionreport )
500,000 m3
lost their lives,500 homesweredestroyed.Property andhighwaydamage
exceeded$65 million.(see details )
1971,Dec.3
Fort Meade,Florida, USA
Cities ServiceCo.
phosphateClay pond damfailure, causeunknown
9 million m3 ofclay water
tailings traveled120 kmdownstreamwith PeaceRiver, largefish kill
1970Mufulira,Zambia
? copper
liquefaction oftailings, flowingintoundergroundworkings
some 1 milliontons
89 minerskilled
1970Maggie Pie,United
Kingdom
? china clay
dam failure afterraising theembankment
and after heavyrain
15,000 m3tailings spilled35 meters
downstream
1969orearlier
Bilbao, Spain ? ?dam failure(liquefaction)after heavy rain
115,000 m3
majordownstreamdamage andloss of life
1968
Hokkaido,
Japan ? ?
dam failure(liquefaction)
duringearthquake
90,000 m3
tailings traveled
150 metersdownstream
1967,Mar.
Fort Meade,Florida, USA
Mobil Chemical phosphatedam failure, nodetails available
250,000 m3 ofphosphatic clayslimes, 1.8million m3 ofwater
spill reachesPeace River,fish killreported
tailings flow
http://wvgazette.com/static/series/buffalocreek/index.htmlhttp://wvgazette.com/static/series/buffalocreek/commission.htmlhttp://www.pittston.com/ -
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1967 (unidentified),UnitedKingdom
? coal dam failureduring regradingoperations
? covered anarea of 4hectares
1966(unidentified),East Texas,USA
? gypsum dam failure76,000 -130,000 m3 ofgypsum
flow slidetraveled 300meters; no
fatalities
1966Derbyshire,UnitedKingdom
? coaldam failure fromfoundationfailure
30,000 m3tailings traveled100 metersdownstream
1966,Oct.
21
Aberfan,Wales, United
Kingdom
Merthyr ValeColliery
coaldam failure(liquefaction)
from heavy rain
162,000 m3
the tailingstraveled 600meters, 144people were
killed (viewdetails ,watch video
1966,May 1
Mir mine,Sgorigrad,Bulgaria
?
lead, zinc,
copper,silver,(uranium?)
dam failure fromrising pond level
after heavy rainsand/or failure ofdiversionchannel
450,000 m3
the tailingswave traveled8 km to thecity of Vratzaand destroyedhalf of
Sgorigradvillage 1 kmdownstream,killing 488people. (Viewdetails historicphotographs
)
1965,Mar.28
Bellavista,Chile
? copper dam failureduringearthquake
70,000 m3tailings traveled800 metersdownstream
1965,Mar.28
Cerro NegroNo.3, Chile
? copper dam failureduringearthquake
85,000 m3tailings traveled5 kmdownstream
1965, El Cobre Newdam failure(liquefaction)
tailings traveled12 km
http://www.sgorigrad.com/index.php?r=tragedy/navodnenie&title=The+1966+tragedy&base=tragedy&lang=enhttp://www.stava1985.it/http://www.worldwidewales.tv/html/movie-167.phphttp://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/politics/aberfan/home.htmhttp://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/GlamEast/MerthyrVale.htm -
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Mar.28
Dam, Chile ? copper duringearthquake
350,000 m3 downstream,destroyed thetown of ElCobre andkilled morethan 200people
1965,Mar.28
El Cobre OldDam, Chile
? copper
dam failure(liquefaction)duringearthquake
1.9 million m3
1965,Mar.28
La PataguaNew Dam,Chile
? copper
dam failure(liquefaction)duringearthquake
35,000 m3tailings traveled5 kmdownstream
1965,Mar.28
Los Maquis,Chile
? copper
dam failure(liquefaction)duringearthquake
21,000 m3tailings traveled5 kmdownstream
1965Tymawr,UnitedKingdom
? coaldam failure fromovertopping
?
tailings traveled700 metersdownstream,causingconsiderabledamage
1962 (unidentified),Peru ? ?
dam failure(liquefaction)
duringearthquake andafter heavyrainfall
? ?
1961Tymawr,UnitedKingdom
? coaldam failure, nodetails available
?tailings traveled800 metersdownstream
tonnes = metric tonnes
Sources:Tailings Dam Incidents, U.S. Committee on Large Dams - USCOLD, Denver, Colorado, ISBN 1-884575-03-X, 1994, 82 pages [compilation and analysis of 185 tailings dam incidents]
Environmental and Safety Incidents concerning Tailings Dams at Mines : Results of a Survey for theyears 1980-1996 by Mining Journal Research Services; a report prepared forUnited Nations EnvironmentProgramme, Industry and Environment . Paris, 1996, 129 pages [compilation of 37 tailings damincidents]
Tailings Dams - Risk of Dangerous Occurrences, Lessons learnt from practical experiences ,
http://www.unep.org/dtie/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdap.html#USCOLD -
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9/20/13 Chronology of major tailings dam failures
Bulletin 121, Published by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology,Industry and Economics (DTIE) and International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), Paris 2001, 144p. [compilation of 221 tailings dam incidents mainly from the above two publications, and examplesof effective remedial measures]
and many others.
> See also: Chronology of uranium tailings dam failures
HOME WISE Uranium Project > Tailings Dam Safety >
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