The Xiangxi gold mine was taken as an example to illustrate the application of the finite element and updated Lagrangian approach in the simulation and prediction of the quality of tailings effluents. The numerical modeling results suggest that tailings-water interaction at the early stage leads to the acidification and release of heavy metals which are responsible for the persistent pollution to the environment for 30 years. Tailings pore water can be gradually neutralized and contents of polluted species tend to decline markedly with time. Th...
