I'm looking for a technical paper on the cause of the Marcopper Dam Failure (Phillipines in 1996). Was hydraulic fracture a cause or contributing factor?
A colleague of mine, Brennan Lang, worked on the installation of the new plug after the failure. I am unable to recall if he participated in the analysis of the failure. However, I am sure that he could shed some light on the failure from his firsthand experience.
Unfortunately, I am unaware of how to contact him at the moment. You might be able to get an email address from Dr. R. Pakalnis at the University of British Columbia.
The following excerpt was taken from a Dec 2001 report available on PD's website:
"It is postulated that, on 24 March 1996,
high hydrostatic pressures (due to the
weight of tailing in the Tapian Pit) caused
rock around the reinforced concrete plug
in the tunnel to fracture, which resulted
in a progressive failure of the seal. Consequently,
some 1.5 million cubic metres
of tailing were released accidentally
to the river system."
