This picture shows a rockslide in the pit. Each of the squared off steps (benches) are 35 feet high and work their way through a variety of rocks as the pit gets bigger. A few of the rock formations are not stable due to strength, fractures or faults. Rockslides in these areas are known weeks if not months in advance through the use of hundreds of prisms placed in key locations by the geologists. They report each morning on the condition of the major features in the pit along with any of the prisms that have moved. The movement is usually well under 3/4" which is typical for the heating and cooling between day and night. Once a future slide becomes evident, berms are put in place, roads rerouted, and if time allows, wider benches if needed.
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