For comparison, the other image (below) was acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 on September 10, the day before the dam collapse.
The breach in the dam is noticeable on its southern side, through which many of the tailings put out. The sludge then turned north and got in several streams and rivers, including the Prosesspruit, and continued to at least Kalkfontein Dam (north of this image).
September 10, 2022– Before the dam collapsed at Jagersfontein.
The breach in the dam is noticeable on its southern side, through which most of the tailings put out. The sludge then turned north and entered several streams and rivers, including the Prosesspruit, and continued to at least Kalkfontein Dam (north of this image).
As the water declined, it left behind white and tan deposits. The lightest areas in this image are most likely dried tailings and mud. Notification that the banks of the Prosesspruit appear wider after being worn down and harmed by the flood.
According to news reports, the flood destroyed more than 160 homes, eliminated at least one individual and hundreds of animals, and damaged more than 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of grazing land. It remains to be seen for how long the filth will continue. As the material dries and solidifies it could start to blow away with the wind or be gotten rid of by rain.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat information from the U.S. Geological Survey.
A dam collapse at a diamond mine in Jagersfontein, South Africa, on September 11, 2022, released sludge that put throughout the landscape, damaging homes, swamping rivers and grazing land, and injuring dozens.
Almost one month after the collapse of a tailings dam, the South African mining town Jagersfontein and neighboring water supply stayed capped with muddy debris.
On September 11, 2022, at a diamond mine in Jagersfontein, South Africa, a dam collapsed, releasing a watery mixture of mining waste referred to as tailings. The sludge streamed throughout the landscape, inundating rivers and grazing land, destroying homes, and injuring dozens.
October 4, 2022– After the dam collapsed at Jagersfontein.
Almost one month after the occurrence, satellite images expose that the landscape remains transformed by the finishing of sludge. This can be seen in the image above, which was caught on October 4, 2022, by the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2) on Landsat 9. For comparison, the other image (listed below) was obtained by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 on September 10, the day prior to the dam collapse.
