The Large Open Pit Project

The Large Open Pit (LOP) project is an international research and technology transfer project focused on the stability of large slopes associated with open pit mines. It is an industry-sponsored and funded project that was initiated in 2005. The LOP’s sponsors have comprised a diverse group of multinational mining companies, joint venture partners and individual mines representing a majority of the world’s diamond and base metals production. The project’s objective is to develop and transfer of skills to manage the geotechnical risk of large open pits, address critical gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the relationships between the strength and deformability of rock masses, and the likely mechanisms of rock slope failures and landslides in large open pit mines.