Hard rock mining - Access

Accessing underground ore can be achieved via a decline or a shaft. A decline is a generally spiral tunnel which circles either the flank of the deposit or circles around the deposit. The decline begins with a box cut, which is the portal to the surface. A shaft is vertical and is either sunk on ore or adjacent to ore. Often a mine with have a decline for personnel and machinery access, and a shaft for ore haulage. Drives are then bored horizintally off the decline or shaft to access the ore body. Stopes are then mined from the ...

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Hard rock mining, Hard rock mining - Access, Hard rock mining - Ore extraction, Hard rock mining - Stope and retreat, Hard rock mining - Stope and fill, Hard rock mining - Extraction, Hard rock mining - Trivia, Hard rock mining - Hardrock mining terms

Read more here: » Hard rock mining: Encyclopedia II - Hard rock mining - Access

Ore must be freed from the solid rock by blasting. This requires drilling shot holes into the ore face. Coarse ore is mucked out using boggers, which are similar to skid loaders. Gravity is used to help move it down ore raises or shafts to the lower drives. Conveyor belts, trucks and rarely trains are used to haul ore to the surface along a drive or decline. Where possible, ore is hauled by buckets in shafts. Ore is also moved in skip buckets hauled up shafts and emptied into bins beneath surface headframe towers for transport to the mill. Open pit mining is used in shallow orebodies ...

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Hard rock mining, Hard rock mining - Access, Hard rock mining - Ore extraction, Hard rock mining - Stope and retreat, Hard rock mining - Stope and fill, Hard rock mining - Extraction, Hard rock mining - Trivia, Hard rock mining - Hardrock mining terms

Read more here: » Hard rock mining: Encyclopedia II - Hard rock mining - Extraction

There are a number of mining methods that are used to extract the mineral bearing rock (ore) from the uneconomic rock, also known as mullock or gangue. Typically some means of support is required in order to maintain the openings that are made by mining. This can be done by pillars which are then mined following the backfilling of the initial stopes. Local to the ore drive, rock bolts, mesh and shotcrete are used to secure working faces and the backs (tops) of the drives. However, leaving pillars of ore is wasteful, as that ore cannot be extracted and processed. See also:

Hard rock mining, Hard rock mining - Access, Hard rock mining - Ore extraction, Hard rock mining - Stope and retreat, Hard rock mining - Stope and fill, Hard rock mining - Extraction, Hard rock mining - Trivia, Hard rock mining - Hardrock mining terms

Read more here: » Hard rock mining: Encyclopedia II - Hard rock mining - Ore extraction