(06-08-2025) Mines in the Andes and seismic zones of Peru will be central topics of debate at Slope Stability 2026, said Antonio Samaniego, member of the organizing committee of one of the world’s most important mine slope events, which will be held for the first time in Peru in 2026.
Slope Stability 2026 is organized by the Large Open Pit Project (LOP) and supported in Peru by the Peruvian Society of Geoengineering and the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP).
Geotechnical challenges
Samaniego highlighted that the Andes mountain range hosts a large portion of Peru’s mineral deposits and that, given this reality, the industry faces numerous challenges to achieve sustainable mining with minimal environmental impact in the area.
The mining engineer added that Peru has eight major copper mines located in geotechnically complex terrain: Antamina, Toromocho, Las Bambas, Cerro Verde, Cuajone, Toquepala, Quellaveco, and Constancia.
“These are very important mines, all considered world-class, operating in geotechnically complex territory, posing interesting challenges due to their location—some in the Andes at high elevations, others in desert coastal areas in seismic zones”, he said.
He added that holding Slope Stability gains relevance because geotechnics in mining is vital: it allows for understanding the resistance and deformation characteristics of the rock mass where mining excavations—surface or underground—are carried out, so they can be designed safely and economically.
“The current knowledge about the rock mass’s reaction is still insufficient, given the variability of the parameters governing its behavior under loads or excavations… hence the importance of events like Slope Stability 2026, where experiences from different parts of the world are shared and exchanged”, he said.
More information: https://www.slopestability2026.com/