Climate & Environment
Tailings Dam
Definition
A tailings dam is an embankment structure impounding the slurry of waste from mineral processing. Unlike water dams, they are built progressively over decades — often by the "upstream" method, raising the dam on its own settled tailings — and must contain their contents forever. Failures are among the worst industrial disasters: Brumadinho, Brazil (2019) killed 270 people, following the Mariana Samarco collapse (2015); together they triggered the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM, 2020), the first global standard, backed by UNEP, ICMM and investor coalitions.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Tailings Dam” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures GISTM conformance, tailings facility disclosure, investor engagement on mining safety, and closure planning.
Why it matters
Tailings dams are permanent structures holding permanent hazard; their governance is mining's most literal life-and-death sustainability test.