Here we go. I’ve left out coal mining—its history is replete with accidents and disasters, especially underground. The human and animal toll from tunnel mining coal is probably incalculable since the practice began.
But let’s look at hard-rock mining. When you move this much dirt and rock, some of it will move the way it wants.
Agnico Eagle
One of North America’s premier gold miners with savvy management—but Lady Luck spares no one.
- 2003 & 2018: Cave-ins at the LaRonde Mine due to ground conditions. Both times: major costs and lost production, but no casualties.
- GoldEx Mine: Another cave-in, similar results—production halted, but no lives lost.
Aurcana Corp
- 2021: Their developing mine at Shaffer, Texas, collapsed so completely it was abandoned. Again, no casualties, but the project was lost.
Kennecott Copper (Rio Tinto)
- 2013: A huge wall collapse at the Bingham Canyon open pit in Utah. Spectacular in scale, devastating to production—but no injuries.
Vale & BHP (Samarco)
- 2015: Joint-venture tailings dam failure in Brazil. Widespread downstream damage to people, animals, and ecosystems. Both companies are still paying legal damages.
- 2019: Another Vale tailings dam collapse in Brazil. Enormous legal fallout, though miraculously no direct human casualties.
CODELCO – Chile’s National Copper
- 2015: An earthquake triggered a cave-in at the El Teniente mine. Six miners were killed, and the mine lost a year of production alongside heavy facility damage.
Freeport-McMoRan
- 2025: Grasberg mine in Indonesia suffered a mine wall slump and wet-earth clogging. No casualties, but operations disrupted.
Imperial Metals
- 2014: Tailings pond breach at Mt. Polley, British Columbia. The ecological and legal consequences are still unfolding years later.
Boliden (Sweden)
- 1998: Tailings breach in Spain.
- 2000: Another similar breach. Both caused lasting environmental harm.
Ongoing Rumors
As I type this, word is circulating of a possible cave-in at Aris Mining’s Segovia operations in Colombia. This is unconfirmed. However, if verified, it will add to the list of reminders that the earth does not always cooperate.
Closing Thought
Mining reshapes mountains, valleys, and river systems. For all the engineering, planning, and management, sometimes the ground asserts its own will. When you move this much earth, there are always risks—and history keeps the ledger.
As investors and observers, it’s easy to focus on the numbers—ounces poured, costs per ton, share price. But the truth is, mining is a dialogue with the earth itself. Sometimes it gives, sometimes it takes back. Every cave-in, every tailings breach, and every wall slump is a reminder. Geology is not a servant, but a partner. It is one we must approach with respect.
Stay alert, stay informed, and remember: when the ground moves, it tells a story.
— Nick, Denaliguide
Denaliguide Summit 
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