A survey of pit wall monitoring practices was conducted at all large open pit copper–
molybdenum mines in British Columbia. The survey found that these mines
tend to rely on visual inspection and prism surveys as the primary techniques for pit
wall management. Open standpipe piezometers and wire-line extensometers are also
used. Newer monitoring technologies are slow to be adopted by the mines. One
exception is slope stability radar, which is used at two mines. All mines have established
movement thresholds that trigger different operational responses. These
thresholds do not appear to be based on the pit depth or rock mass conditions.