Designing More Stable Mine Landforms
Landloch has pioneered the use of concave batter slopes for constructed mine-site landforms since the early 2000s, providing an alternative to the traditional bench and batter configurations commonly used on waste dumps and tailings dams.
Concave profiles reflect forms found in natural landscapes, where land gradient typically decreases as catchment area increases. Applied to constructed landforms, the steepest gradients occur near the top of the slope, where runoff volumes are lowest, while the gradient progressively reduces as runoff increases further downslope.
Why Use a Concave Slope?
Landloch has recommended and designed concave slope profiles for numerous mine-site landforms.
There are two key benefits to this approach:
- Reduced reliance on engineered drainage features. Traditional slopes may depend on berms and rock drains that require long-term maintenance and can become unstable if their capacity to retain or convey flow is exceeded.
- Reduced erosion. Depending on slope height and material properties, a concave profile can typically reduce erosion by a factor of 2–5 compared with a uniform-gradient slope.
This can support the development of more stable landforms while reducing reliance on structures that may require ongoing maintenance.
Applying a Concave Design
Concave slope design should be site-specific.
The appropriate profile depends on factors including:
- Local climate
- Landform geometry
- Material properties
- Infiltration capacity
- Soil and waste material erodibility
Landloch uses erosion modelling to develop profiles that minimise sediment loss and maintain erosion at acceptable rates across the slope. Where possible, designs also seek to minimise or eliminate the risk of rill erosion.
Accurate input data are critical. A profile developed for a different climate, material or site is therefore not recommended.
From Modelling to Construction
Landloch has considerable experience in both the design and construction of concave slopes.
Our model-based designs have been validated across numerous landforms and have demonstrated considerably better performance than designs based on estimated parameters.
Importantly, modelling is only part of the process. Landloch’s experience in landform design, erosion and landform evolution modelling has demonstrated that accurate construction and implementation are just as important as the design itself.
Concave Slopes in Practice
Concave slopes designed by Landloch have been constructed across a range of mine sites, with observations of both constructed and naturally occurring concave slopes demonstrating the stability that can be achieved.
The examples in the original publication include Landloch’s first concave profile designed using erosion and landform evolution modelling in south-west Western Australia, waste dump batters in the WA Goldfields, a rocky tailings embankment in the northern Goldfields and a constructed concave profile in the Pilbara.
Need Advice on Landform Design?
Landloch provides specialist landform design, erosion assessment and landform evolution modelling to support stable, site-specific rehabilitation outcomes.
1 Loch, R., Dunlop, J., and Nicolson L. (2025) Leading practice guidance on erosion and landform evolution modelling to design post-mining landforms: Technical Paper, Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner, Queensland Government, Brisbane.