Technological improvements in geotechnical mapping, modeling, and monitoring now allow a digital twin to be developed and maintained in parallel with mining operations. That is, the routine use of aerial photogrammetry, semi-automatic rock mass characterization, three-dimensional slope stability modeling and ground-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar monitoring allow near real-time comparison of modelled and realized ground conditions. This is critical for reconciling the effectiveness of geotechnical models for predicting future slope stability (or instability). This paper presents a semi-brittle slope failure case study from Pueblo Viejo gold mine which was managed using a digital twin approach. The near real-time comparison of the three-dimensional model with observed slope conditions allowed critical structures to be added to the geotechnical model as mining progressed. This led to the identification of a high-risk area that would not have been identified if the digital twin was not implemented & maintained during mining.
