Specialised Service

Tailings Storage Facility Monitoring

Drone photogrammetric monitoring of tailings dam walls, beaches, freeboard, and ancillary structures. Quantitative deformation tracking, GISTM-aligned reporting, and rapid post-incident assessment for mining operators across Southern Africa.

Request a TSF monitoring proposal See the Jagersfontein response
Trusted by
Sasol Eskom Impala Platinum Sibanye-Stillwater Afrimat Growthpoint Concor Stefanutti Stocks Zutari Infrastructure South Africa
In short

Tailings storage facility inspection monitors dam walls, beaches, and freeboard for deformation and instability. Delta Scan uses drone photogrammetry and LiDAR to produce GISTM-aligned surfaces and digital twins, tracking movement over time and supporting rapid post-incident response without putting people on the wall.

Tailings storage facilities are the largest and most consequential structures most mining operations own. They are also among the least frequently inspected at engineering depth. The catastrophic failures at Brumadinho (2019), Jagersfontein (2022), and earlier at Mount Polley and Samarco have moved tailings monitoring from a regulatory afterthought to a standing board-level concern.

Delta Scan operates a tailings monitoring practice aligned to the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM). We deliver scheduled drone photogrammetric surveys with quantitative change detection between epochs, freeboard measurement, beach profiling, deformation tracking on dam walls and toe areas, and rapid response capability for post-incident assessment. Outputs feed directly into the operator's Engineer of Record review cycle and inform Operations Maintenance and Surveillance (OMS) decisions.

Selected output

Surface, captured and tracked.

UAV and LiDAR capture reconstructed into surfaces and twins for deformation tracking and GISTM-aligned reporting.

Orthomosaic of a facility surface used as the basis for change detection.
Orthomosaic of a facility surface used as the basis for change detection.
Registered point cloud of bulk storage and supporting structures.
Registered point cloud of bulk storage and supporting structures.
Reconstructed earthworks surface for volumetric and deformation analysis.
Reconstructed earthworks surface for volumetric and deformation analysis.
When to use it

Typical engagements.

Each scenario below represents a real-world trigger for this service. If your situation matches one of these, get in touch.

GISTM-aligned routine monitoring

Scheduled photogrammetric surveys at monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual cadence as required by the operator's Tailings Management System and Engineer of Record review schedule.

Deformation tracking

Quantitative wall movement detection between epochs. Sub-centimetre vertical accuracy with proper ground control. Trends are tracked statistically rather than visually, enabling early warning of progressive failure mechanisms.

Post-incident response

Rapid mobilisation following actual or suspected failure events. Our team responded to the Jagersfontein failure with same-week drone capture and photogrammetric digital twin construction enabling remote analysis while site access remained hazardous.

Decommissioning and rehabilitation

Volumetric and topographic surveys of closed TSFs supporting closure planning, rehabilitation design, vegetation establishment monitoring, and long-term legacy stewardship.

How it works

Our process.

A repeatable five-stage workflow. The same disciplined sequence runs whether the site is a 500-hectare mining operation or a single 60-metre bridge.

01

Baseline survey

Initial photogrammetric capture establishes the reference epoch. Permanent ground control points are placed and surveyed with RTK GNSS to ensure subsequent surveys are directly comparable.

02

Scheduled monitoring flights

Repeat surveys at agreed cadence. Flight planning is consistent between epochs (same altitude, side-overlap, image trigger spacing) to minimise reconstruction noise. Captures are typically completed in one or two days even for large TSFs.

03

Photogrammetric processing

Image data processes through structure-from-motion software to produce dense point clouds, digital surface models, and high-resolution orthomosaics. Co-registration to the baseline epoch is mathematically rigorous, not visual.

04

Change detection and analysis

Epoch-to-epoch differencing produces displacement maps highlighting any wall movement, beach erosion, freeboard reduction, pond migration, or vegetation change. Statistical thresholds separate real movement from photogrammetric noise.

05

Engineering report

Pr Eng reviewed report submitted into the operator's OMS reporting chain. Quantitative metrics include freeboard, beach length, decant pond distance to embankment crest, and any detected wall displacement against trigger action response plan thresholds.

Request a TSF monitoring proposal See the Jagersfontein response
Equipment

What we use.

Calibrated, sector-matched hardware combined with proprietary software. The capture stack is selected for the asset, not the other way around.

DJI Matrice 400

DJI Matrice 400

Primary aerial platform for routine TSF monitoring. RTK GNSS positioning, multi-flight battery management for large facilities.

Fixed-wing UAV fleet

Long-endurance platform for very large TSFs and tailings beaches exceeding 500 hectares per single flight envelope.

Zenmuse H30T

Zenmuse H30T

Thermal payload for seepage detection, identifying anomalous moisture pathways through dam walls that may indicate internal erosion.

Sectors

Where this fits.

The same engineering discipline applies across Diamond and gold mining, Platinum and base metals, Coal and industrial minerals, Closed and orphaned sites. The detail changes with the asset class and the operational context.

Diamond and gold mining

Active TSFs at producing operations, post-closure legacy facilities, paddock and ring-wall configurations

Platinum and base metals

Bushveld Complex operations, upstream and downstream construction methods, multi-cell TSFs

Coal and industrial minerals

Co-disposal facilities, slimes dams, ash dams from coal-fired power generation including Eskom legacy sites

Closed and orphaned sites

Post-closure long-term monitoring, legacy site stewardship under Department of Mineral Resources requirements

Selected work

Recent engagements.

Specific projects where this service was deployed. Each links to the full case study with metrics, equipment, and outcomes.

Jagersfontein Tailings Collapse, Mining, Free State
Mining, Free State

Jagersfontein Tailings Collapse

Emergency survey and 3D twin after the tailings dam failure, enabling remote analysis and rehabilitation planning.

View project →
Mine Storage Silos, Mining
Mining

Mine Storage Silos

Annual baseline inspection of two mine storage silos using drone capture and a digital twin.

View project →
Durban Silo Array, Industrial, KwaZulu-Natal
Industrial, KwaZulu-Natal

Durban Silo Array

Phase 1 baseline visual inspection across 35 silos and 16 inter-bins.

View project →
FAQ

Frequent questions.

Direct answers to the questions clients ask most often before engaging.

How does drone monitoring compare to InSAR or GNSS-based monitoring?

They are complementary, not competitive. InSAR offers wide-area monitoring at lower spatial resolution and is sensitive to deformation along the satellite line of sight. GNSS-based monitoring gives sub-millimetre accuracy at discrete points. Drone photogrammetry provides dense, full-coverage data at millimetre to centimetre vertical accuracy. We typically work alongside operators' existing GNSS networks rather than replacing them.

Is drone monitoring GISTM-compliant?

GISTM does not prescribe specific technologies. It requires that monitoring be appropriate to the consequence classification of the facility and reviewed by an Engineer of Record. Drone photogrammetric monitoring as we deliver it provides the data fidelity and review-cycle integration GISTM expects.

What happens if you detect concerning movement?

Our standard reporting workflow includes an alert protocol. If detected movement exceeds the operator's pre-agreed thresholds, we notify the Engineer of Record and TSF Responsible Person directly the same day. We do not wait for the next scheduled report to surface a potential trigger event.

Can drones fly over active TSFs safely?

Yes, under specific safety protocols agreed with the operator. SACAA regulations permit BVLOS operations with approval. We do not fly over the active discharge zone or above operational equipment without explicit clearance.

How quickly can you mobilise for post-incident response?

For South African mining operators we have mobilised on-site within 24 hours of an incident. International deployments depend on aviation logistics but a typical mobilisation window is three to five days.

Do you provide the engineering analysis or just the data?

Both, but we are explicit about the boundary. Our scope normally covers data capture, processing, change detection, and trend reporting. The engineering interpretation, slope stability analysis, and trigger response decisions remain with the Engineer of Record. Where we operate as Engineer of Record on smaller facilities, that is a separate scope of work with separate professional engineering liability.

Related services

If this fits, these often do too.

Engineering programmes rarely run on a single service. These adjacent capabilities most often pair with the work above.

GIS & SurveyingDrone Survey & Aerial MappingExplore the service →Forensic & LossForensic EngineeringExplore the service →Bathymetric & Hydrographic SurveyBathymetric SurveysExplore the service →MiningBlast Fragmentation AnalysisExplore the service →
Accuracy & standards

Built to be signed, not just shared.

Pr EngECSA 202001436

Every engineering deliverable is reviewed and signed by Darryl Epstein, a registered Professional Engineer (Pr Eng, ECSA 202001436).

SAGIsurvey

Geospatial deliverables carry registered land-surveyor sign-off where accuracy must be certified.

Classstated

Every deliverable carries a stated survey accuracy class or BIM level of development (LOD), reported per engagement against check-point analysis.

Standardscited

Findings cross-referenced to the applicable codes (SANS, TMH, EN), with accuracy statements on every report.

Start here

Request a TSF monitoring proposal

Send the brief and our engineering team will review your enquiry and reply within one business day. Prefer to talk first? Call or WhatsApp us below.

+27 71 099 7605 WhatsApp us →

Response within 1 business day · Pr Eng or SAGI signed

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