Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-6-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Geology and Geological Engineering
First Advisor
Thomas Oommen
Second Advisor
Jennifer Gifford
Third Advisor
Hakan Yasarer
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Mine tailings impoundments are structures built to contain the chemical and sedimentary byproducts generated by ore extraction activities. In this common method of mining waste storage, the tailings can be pumped into containment ponds and held behind earthen embankments to prevent the release of hazardous substances into the surrounding environment. Monitoring environmental factors that influence the structural integrity of these impoundments is essential for identifying areas vulnerable to instability and failure. Soil moisture is a factor that can affect the stability of mine tailings impoundment structures. This study evaluates the relationship between satellite-derived soil moisture and surface deformation at mine tailings impoundments using multi-sensor remote sensing data and integrated approaches to improve the detection of deformation patterns. Data from SMAP, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8 satellites were analyzed from 2017 to 2021, based on their temporal coverage and spatial resolution, along a small section of active tailings impoundment. The backscatter measured from Sentinel-1 Dual-Polarization[NI1] data to derive soil moisture, and the Sentinel-2 optical trapezoid model (OPTRAM) have 20 m spatial resolution after processing. However, the Sentinel-1 satellite had roughly 4 times as many data points for the given area, demonstrating much higher temporal resolution. The 9 km-resolution SMAP and 30 m-resolution Landsat-8 thermal optical trapezoid model (TOTRAM) are coarser-resolution estimation techniques that yield 4 to 20 times fewer data points, making them inaccurate for fine-scale soil moisture estimation. It was determined that soil moisture retrieval from Sentinel-1 provides the highest spatial and temporal resolution for small-scale deformation detection around the structure. The relationship between surface soil moisture and InSAR ground displacement was studied in 2020 at two active tailings impoundments, using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Dual-Polarization VV backscatter to compare with Interferometric SAR (InSAR) line-of-sight displacement measurements from 2015 to 2021. Average annual moisture values were analyzed against corresponding displacement observations, and spatial clustering was used to evaluate trends relative to the points’ locations along the structure. Results indicate that zones of elevated soil moisture, particularly near dam margins, are associated with higher and more variable negative displacement (downward movement or subsidence). These findings demonstrate a positive relationship between increased moisture and ground movement, highlighting the value of radar satellite-based monitoring for identifying potentially unstable areas.
Recommended Citation
Pierce, Arden K., "A Remote Sensing Approach to Identifying Zones of Instability in Mine Tailings Impoundments Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Data" (2026). Honors Theses. 3493.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3493
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