Mineral exploration and mining companies need to adopt a “proactive approach” to managing the climate-driven impacts on infrastructure built on permafrost, says Christopher Stevens, senior consultant at SRK Consulting (U.S.).
Surface infrastructure, including roads, airstrips, buildings, and tailings dams often relies on permafrost’s frozen state for stability. These structures, however, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to ground warming that causes the permafrost to thaw, which can lead to ground settlement and soil creep.
“Permafrost is not a static condition; it's dynamic and constantly changing,” explains Stevens, a geocryologist with over 18 years of experience working on mining, transportation, and oil and gas projects in the U.S., Canada, Russia, and Greenland.
“It has complex temperature-dependent properties that alter the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the soil. At some sites, ground warming is degrading the permafrost, resulting in deeper seasonal thaw and changes in ground stability.”
Scientists and engineers widely accept permafrost is changing due to climate-driven impacts. Less understood is what these changes could mean for operating mines or the long-term closure of projects located in permafrost settings.
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