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• Prior to the site visit, geologic literature available for the site was reviewed. Aerial photographs of the area, made a~railable by Cotter Corporation, were studied and evaluated. Asa result of this task, an evaluation was made of the general stability of the area and of the potential impacts on the existing waste piles, on the future waste piles and on the reclaimed waste piles. 2. Physical Properties of Waste Material - The waste pile material consists of angular fragments of hard rock (amphi~olite); it contains very few fines and has the character of a rockfill. Physical properties of this material (specifically, the shearing resistance) were needed for the stability analyses of the pile. As testing of such material is practically impossible, physical properties were estimated by compari- sion with other, similar materials that have been used on other projects (specifically, on the construction of rockfill dams where large scale tests were performed to estimate the shearing resistance). 'fhe size of • the particles, their angularity, gradation, hardness and resistance against weathering were used as a basis for comparative purposes and for the evaluation of the physical properties. The documentation of the waste pile material was made by our engineers site visits. Cotter representatives provided additional in- formation on the origin, processing and handling of the waste. 3. Physical Properties of Foundation Material - Th~a waste pile is underlain by the in situ foundation material. This materi~il is formed by bedrock, alluvial soils at the bottom of the valley and Icy colluvial soils on both valley sides. Physical properties of alluvial aid colluvial soils were needed for the stability analyses. Testing of these soils beneath the waste piles wnuld require drilling through the waste piles and sample collection. The exposed soils • -3-