France’s CGG says it has become a member of Amira, an independent global not-for-profit organisation representing members from the mineral resources industry seeking to enhance, sustain and deliver transformational R&D, innovation and implementation to the benefit of society.

As part of its membership, CGG’s Minerals & Mining group is sponsoring an independent industry research program developed in response to several recent and well-documented accidents and catastrophic failures at mine tailings storage facilities (TSF). The program will evaluate the suitability of a range of monitoring technologies for giving advance warning of dam instability based on the analysis and modeling of data collected at TSFs provided by key mining company sponsors. CGG will participate by contributing satellite remote sensing data, passive seismic survey equipment from its Sercel equipment division and associated geophysical data processing expertise.

Adam Thomas, Head of Minerals & Mining, CGG, said: “CGG’s support of this important Amira research project reflects our commitment to help drive and improve operational performance and safety in the mining sector, where we have a strong track record of delivering high-added-value satellite and geophysical survey solutions. We look forward to the positive impact we believe its findings will have for the mining industry and for society.”

CGG’s solutions include MineScope™, a suite of satellite-derived services that enable mining companies and third-party consultants to make smarter geological, geotechnical and safety-related decisions throughout the mining lifecycle including relating to waste management and tailings. As an example, MineScope ground stability (InSAR) measurements showed precursor deformation associated with the Cadia mine tailings failure that occurred in April 2018.