Stability considerations for slopes excavated in fine hard soils/soft rocks at Cobre Las Cruces mine, Sevilla, Spain
Publicated to:Journal Of The Southern African Institute Of Mining And Metallurgy. 119 (7): 647-659 - 2019-01-01 119(7), DOI: 10.17159/2411-9717/322/2019
Authors: Cooper, S.; Rodriguez, M. D.; Galera, J. M.; Pozo, V;
Affiliations
Abstract
Cobre Las Cruces mine extracts copper minerals from a VMS deposit located in the well-known Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). As an open pit, it is distinguished geologically from other IPB mines by the presence of around 150 m of Tertiary soft marls, known locally as the Guadalquivir Blue Marls. followed by a regionally important aquifer. Below the marls and aquifer the mineralization is hosted by rocks typical of the Palaeozoic within the IPB, comprising gossan, tuffs, slates, and sulphides. This combination of a substantially soft rock and more competent, older (but still occasionally problematic) Palaeozoic lithologies constitutes a unique geological framework and presents substantial challenges in maintenance of slope stability, and therefore operational safety, at the mine site. This paper describes the fundamental design, excavation, and monitoring measures implemented at the mine to maintain safe production, and the lessons learnt during the mine development.
Keywords
Quality index
Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel
The work has been published in the journal Journal Of The Southern African Institute Of Mining And Metallurgy due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2019, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Metals and Alloys. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q4 for the agency WoS (JCR) in the category Mining & Mineral Processing.
Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.
Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-07-04:
- WoS: 1
- Scopus: 2
Impact and social visibility
Leadership analysis of institutional authors
There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Cooper, S.) .