Residual soils and saprolites are common in lateritic nickel deposits and notorious for their heterogeneity in configuration and mechanical properties, mostly due to bedrock genesis and highly variable weathering stages. This work proposes a methodology that allows handling the cohesion as a random variable in sites with similar stratigraphy. An automation script was developed to run Plaxis software, which included data input, repetitive calculation of the model and management of the output data in order to detect the most likely sliding surface. A practical example is presented for the Fenix deposit that Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel mines in Izabal, Guatemala. The obtained results were integrated into a risk analysis that aided decision-making and optimization of operations.
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