Ecology & Safety, Volume 10, 2016

Abstract: The paper presents a short review of investigations on conditions of tailings from the mining industry. The preliminary feasibility study was carried out of expenditures for performing integrated research of a tailing’s conditions as a whole, and for principal types of field and laboratory works. The studies performed have shown that among the main work research groups the most costly are engineering-geodetic operations which carrying out is almost in one and a half time more expensive than carrying out of engineering-geological works. Laboratory works, including processing, analysis and generalization of all the test results as well as drawing up of a technical report require one third of all expenses. For the purpose to optimize and partially decrease the total amount of financial maintenance of works and increase information content and efficiency of the results received the authors offer to integrate modern innovative methods and means such as georadar subsurface and surface sounding, satellite and air photos, satellite georadar surveys and GPS measurements into integrated research of state of a tailing, and to apply more largely automated methods and technologies during laboratory processing of field measurement results.