1 THE BEHAVIOR OF INCLINED COVERS USED AS OXYGEN BARRIERS Bruno Bussière 1,3 , Michel Aubertin 2,3 and Robert P. Chapuis 2 1 Department of Applied Sciences, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445 University Blvd, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, J9X 5E4, Canada 1 2 Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, P.O.Box 6079, Stn Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3A7, Canada 3 Industrial NSERC Polytechnique-UQAT Chair on Environment and Mine Waste Management Submitted to Canadian Geotechnical Journal (MS # 02-023) Originally submitted in January 2002 (comments received in September 2002) Revised, December 2002 Corresponding author: Bruno Bussière Bruno.Bussiere@uqat.ca , tel: (819) 762-0971 ext. 2531, fax: (819) 797-6672