From Wikipedia:
Tailings (also known as slimes, tailings pile, tails, leach
residue, or slickens) are the materials left over after the process
of separating the valuable fraction from the worthless fraction of
an ore.
Tailings represent external costs of mining. As mining
techniques and the price of minerals improve, it is not unusual for
tailings to be reprocessed using new methods, or more thoroughly
with old methods, to recover additional minerals. Yesterday's tails
can be tomorrow's resource, as seen during the 1990s when the
extensive tailings dumps of Kalgoorlie/Boulder in Western Australia
were re-processed profitably by KalTails Mining.
Pond Storage Method
There are many different subsets of this method. Large earthen
dams may be constructed and then filled with the tailings. Tailings
may be deposited into natural geographical depressions. Exhausted
open pit mines may be refilled with tailings. In all instances, due
consideration must be made to contamination of the underlying water
table, amongst other issues. Dewatering is an important part of
pond storage, as the tailings are added to the storage facility the
water is removed - usually by draining into decant tower
structures. The water removed can thus be reused in the processing
cycle. Once a storage facility is filled and completed, the surface
can be covered with topsoil and revegetation commenced. However,
unless a non-permeable capping method is used water that
infiltrates into the storage facility will have to be continually
pumped out in the future.
A Few Important Things....
- Be careful of barbed wire - there are lots of
loose pieces lying around to trip you up!
- We recommend you park at S25 39.917 E28
31.154
- Watch out for muggles on the opposite hill
watching you