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LOP Webinars
LOP Online Webinars The LOP seeks to advance globally the state‐of‐the‐art in surface mine geotechnical design and operation through targeted research. The research is intended to be practical and pragmatic with a short‐to‐mid‐term delivery of advances to the industry of 3‐10 years; and to continue the LOP tradition of peer knowledge exchange through close interaction between sponsor representatives and through site visits to operating mines, as well as service provider and supplier centres. This information exchange has demonstrated itself to be an invaluable result of the original LOP project, and continues. Since 2005, the Large Open Pit Project has delivered five Industry Guidelines, which have been taken up widely by [Read more]
LOP Presentation at Slope Stability 2020 Conference
LOP Presentation at the 2020 Slope Stability Conference For the past 15 years, the Large Open Pit project (LOP) has provided a forum for senior geotechnical staff from the sponsor mining companies to meet, discuss and fund research into the geotechnical aspects of open pit mining. Recently, the Chair of the Sponsors' Representatives committee of the LOP, Mr Pete Stacey, delivered an Invited Talk at the 2020 International Symposium on Slope Stability in Open Pit Mining and Civil Engineering (Slope Stability 2020) Conference in October. The purpose of the presentation was to provide a brief history of the LOP project since its initiation in 2005, and to outline the current [Read more]
The Launch of LOP III
The Launch of LOP III (2020, 2021 and 2022) For the past 15 years, the Large Open Pit project has provided a forum for senior geotechnical staff from the sponsor mining companies to meet, discuss and fund research into the geotechnical aspects of open-pit mining. The original basis for the LOP in 2005 was a recognition that there had been little or no research into open-pit slopes geotechnics since the publication of Rock Slope Engineering (Hoek and Bray 1981) and the Pit Slope Manual (CANMET, Canada 1977). The LOP I was, therefore, initiated in 2005 with the involvement of between 10 and 14 sponsoring mining companies and followed two main [Read more]
Guidelines for Slope Performance Monitoring
The latest Large Open Pit Guidelines on Slope Performance Monitoring, the fifth in the series written by industry experts and international researchers, is now available online (currently pre-order only) through the links below: https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7862 https://www.lopproject.com/guidelines/ After the official launch in July 2020, interested readers will also be able to access it from book retail websites or by placing an order with their local bookshop. It will also be available in an eBook format around mid-July 2020. The 10 chapters present the process of establishing and operating a slope monitoring system, the fundamentals of pit slope monitoring methods and instrumentation, monitoring system operation, data acquisition, management and analysis, and utilisation and [Read more]
LOP III Meeting #1
In view of the COVID-19 situation, a scaled-down LOP III Meeting #1 was held online, focusing on Research Proposals for LOP III – Open Pit of the Future. The meeting was held over a two-day period on May 11 from 7 – 10 am and May 12 from 12 – 3 am (Brisbane time) to accommodate time zone differences between the LOP Sponsors. LOP III – Open Pit of the Future will run for 3 years from 2020 to 2022, sponsored by at least 10 global mining companies, expected to include Anglo American, Anglo Gold Ashanti, Barrick, BHP, Debswana, Fortescue, Glencore, Newcrest, Rio Tinto and Vale. Other international mining companies also attended the meeting and are [Read more]
LOP Online Lecture by Prof. Evert Hoek
In this LOP Presentation, Professor Evert Hoek is providing insights into the use of rock masses as engineering materials with an emphasis on large open-pit mine slopes. The presentation is based on Prof Hoek’s recent public talk at a symposium in Brisbane in December 2018 for the celebration of the 80th birthday and the retirement of Professor Ted brown. The paper presented in 2018 was entitled “The Hoek-Brown Criterion and GSI 2018 Edition”, and is published in the journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. It is noted that the Brisbane presentation was for a general audience, and Prof Hoek has made several significant changes in this LOP presentation in [Read more]