Home – Home – Jornals – Earth’s Cryosphere 2025 number 6

Further deepening of the Yubileinaya kimberlite pipe open-pit mine and bringing its upper part to the maximum surface contour required a series of studies aimed at improving the stability of the pit’s upper slopes. This necessitated an investigation of local mining-geological and cryohydrogeological conditions, such as the presence of substantial talik zones beneath Protochnoye and Travyanistoye lakes, which affect not only the deposit’s water inflow but also slope stability, particularly in areas of talik water discharge. It was found that the talik zones had undergone changes during the deposit development expanding from their original dimensions both in plan and in section. Calculations were performed to assess potential shifts in the position of the 0 °C isotherm in the cross-section due to thawing caused by convective water flow. This flow intensified due to increased movement of groundwater and surface water from upland ditches through the talik body toward discharge points on the pit slopes. The predicted thawing extent generally aligns with the actual recorded changes in the depth of talik zones. The hydrogeological modeling helped determine the optimum operating regime for drainage wells with elimination of water discharge areas from talik zones after implementing the proposed solutions.