Case Study: Codelco reduces tailings dam uncertainty with STRYDE seismic technology

Codelco reduces tailings dam uncertainty with STRYDE in a 3-week seismic survey

Codelco, Chile's state-owned copper mining company, needed to assess the integrity of a large tailings dam where existing ground investigation data was limited to only five boreholes. This sparse information created significant uncertainty about potential localized weak zones within the dam structure. The challenge was to gain a more complete spatial understanding of the dam's internal condition to support better-informed geotechnical risk assessment.

STRYDE addressed this challenge by deploying approximately 1,000 of their ultra-lightweight Mini seismic nodes to conduct a high-density seismic survey. This approach enabled the creation of a high-resolution 3D shear wave velocity model, which found no significant weak zones and indicated consistently dense and competent materials. The results provided Codelco with greatly increased confidence in the dam’s stability, reduced uncertainty between borehole locations, and delivered actionable, metre-scale resolution data to support engineering decision-making.