Mining

With more than three decades experience performing site investigation services, Gregg is well suited with respect to safety performance, experience, and capabilities to execute field services to support tailings investigations.

Gregg Drilling has completed investigations at mines across the United States involving:

  • Cone Penetration Testing (tracked, amphibious, limited access and truck-mounted options available)
  • Wireline CPT with rotary drilling (increased depth capability past 100m)
  • Vane shear and fast-vane testing for silty materials
  • Sonic drilling and continuous sampling
  • Rotary drilling and sampling
  • Vibrating Wire Piezometer (VWP) installations
  • Inclinometer installations
  • Heliportable equipment

Services:

  1. Cone Penetration Testing (CPT): Gregg Drilling employs advanced Cone Penetration Testing techniques to evaluate the geotechnical properties of mine tailings. Our skilled and experienced operators use CPT rigs equipped with A.P. van den Berg digital cones to measure the cone resistance, sleeve friction, pore pressure and seismic velocities. The collected data provides valuable insights into soil behavior, strength, and stability, enabling our clients to assess the potential for settlement, liquefaction, and slope stability issues.

  2. Drilling: As a leading site investigation company, we specialize in various drilling techniques tailored to the unique challenges of mine tailings exploration. Our experienced team utilizes rotary drilling, auger drilling, and diamond core drilling methods to obtain high-quality soil and rock samples. These samples are instrumental in determining the geotechnical properties, stratigraphy, and groundwater conditions of the mine tailings site.

  3. Sonic Drilling: At Gregg we employ state-of-the-art sonic drilling technology to overcome the limitations of traditional drilling methods. Sonic drilling utilizes high-frequency vibrations to advance the drill bit rapidly through various soil and rock formations, minimizing sample disturbance and obtaining undisturbed samples. This technique ensures accurate geotechnical profiling, especially in complex geological conditions found in mine tailings sites.

  4. Vane Shear Testing: We offer vane shear testing as a means to assess the strength and shear resistance of mine tailings. Our skilled engineers and geologists utilize portable vane shear test equipment to measure the undrained shear strength of the tailings material. This data helps in understanding the stability and behavior of mine tailings, allowing for informed decision-making during planning and design stages.

Commitment to Quality and Safety: Gregg Drilling is committed to delivering site investigation services of the highest quality while prioritizing safety. We adhere to industry best practices and utilize state-of-the-art equipment to ensure accurate and reliable data collection. Our rigorous quality control procedures, combined with skilled field staff and experienced geotechnical engineers, guarantee the integrity of our findings and recommendations.

Sustainable Practices: As a responsible site investigation company, we integrate sustainability into our operations. We focus on minimizing environmental impact, reducing waste generation, and promoting environmentally friendly drilling techniques. Our aim is to contribute to the sustainable management of mine tailings, ensuring long-term environmental stewardship.

Project news:

We are excited to announce the completion of a 175m CPT at Pinto Valley in Arizona. This was accomplished by combining a surface push CPT to 100m and then switching to our Raptor-CPT wireline method to complete the push to depth. Join us at the Tailings and Mine Waste Conference in Vancouver, Canada November 5-9th to learn more about this technique during our paper presentation.

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