Mining

- is the extraction of valuables minerals or

other geological materials from the earth from
an orebody, lode, vein, seam, or reef, which forms
the mineralized package of economic interest

– is the process of obtaining useful minerals from

the earth’s crust and includes both underground
excavations and surface working.
- supplies us with structural materials such as
stone, glass, sand, clays and cement rocks.
– with fuels such as natural gas, coal and
petroleum.
– with abrasives, such as garnet and corundum.
– with fertilizers such as potash phosphates, and
nitrates.
– with substances having various industrial uses,
such as sulfur, graphite, borax, and
asbestos.
– with ores and the metallic minerals, such as
gold, silver, copper lead, zinc, iron
and aluminum.
– with the precious stones such as diamonds,
rubies and sapphires.
– and more recently with fissionable materials and
rare earth.
 2 Types Mining :

: surface mining
:sub-surface (underground) mining

2 General categories of materials:

I . Placer deposits,
II. Lode deposits,
Placer deposits
- consisting of valuable minerals contained
within river gravels, beach sands, and
other unconsolidated materials;

Lode deposits
- - where valuable minerals are found in veins,
in layers, or in mineral grains generally
distributed throughout a mass of actual rock.
SURFACE MINING
- is done by removing (stripping) surface
vegetation, dirt, and, if necessary, layers of
bedrock in order to reach buried ore deposits.
- is a type of mining in which soil and rock
overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are
removed. It is used when deposits of commercially
useful minerals or rock are found near the surface.
 Techniques of surface mining :

open-pit mining, which is the recovery of materials from an

open pit in the ground, quarrying or gathering building
materials from an open-pit mine; strip mining, which
consists of stripping surface layers off to reveal ore/seams
underneath; and mountaintop removal, commonly associated
with coal mining, which involves taking the top of a
mountain off to reach ore deposits at depth
SUBSURFACE OR UNDERGROUND MINING
-a method of extraction of an ore deposit beneath the
surface of the earth located at greater depth and
which can no longer be economically mined by
surface methods. It is done by driving vertical
and horizontal openings to reach the deposit..
MAJOR FACTORS IN SELECTING THE TYPE OF MINING
METHODS :

 Geological condition
 Ore occurrence
 Environmental laws
 Technical capability
 Feasibility of the project
 Social acceptance
 Metal prices in world market
REASONS FOR THE CHOICE OF U/G OVER O/P MINING
METHODS :

- very thick overburden materials;

- an environmentally-friendly method;
- cheaper cost compared to O/P pit method;
- deep occurrence or deposition of deposit;
- availability of raw materials to be used in mining
operation (e.g. timber);
- availability of manpower skills.
 TYPES OF UNDERGROUND MINES

1. Drift Mine
- a horizontal, or nearly horizontal opening into the ore deposit
that outcrops
to the surface at the side of hill or mountain;
- the opening into the mine may be directly into the vein or
mineralization;
- generally the easiest, cheapest because there will
simultaneous mine
development and at the same time mine production;
have horizontal entries into the ore deposit from a hillside;
2. Slope Mine

- an inclined opening used to go nearer the ore;

- it may follow the vein that dips inclined, overlying or
underlying the rock strata (host rock) which is below
drainage; transportation of ore to the surface can be
either by conveyor, track haulage-using a trolley
locomotive if the grade is gentle or by pulling mine cars
up the slope using an electric hoist and steel rope or
slusher if the grade is steep. Nowadays the use of Load-
Haul-Dump (LHD)are most prominent.

host rock - a body of rock serving as a host for another

rocks or for mineral deposit.
3. Shaft Mine

-the ore deposit is covered by deep overburden;

the thickness and lateral extent of the ore deposit
can justifies the cost of driving of shafts;
- the ore deposit can be reached by a vertical
opening from the surface;
- extracting the ore is more economical than any the
other development methods
to reach the deposit.
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF UNDERGROUND MINING

Advantages:
- lower mining costs;
- labor intensive
- more workers can be employed
- environmentally-friendly
 Minimal damage to vegetation and habitat
 Preserve environmental aesthetics;
 Minimal air and water pollution;
Less noise created during mining operation
Disadvantages:

 Prone to ground subsidence;

 Loss of groundwater sources;
 Slopes prone to landslide
 More risky working environment
 High temperature environment
 Not good location for high-rise structures
ADDITIONAL TERMS :
Oblique Stripping
- It is a combination of the first two methods where the pits are oriented between the strike
and dip of the seam.

Contour
- It is a narrow zone following the outcrop of a seam in mountain terrain.

Cages
- for handling personnel & materials

Skips
- broken ore and waste

Panning
- Washing gravel, or crushed rock, in a
gold-miner's pan to detect gold, etc.
STAGES OF U/G MINING OPERATION :

* PROSPECTIING
* EXPLORATION
* PREPARATION OF FEASIBILITY STUDY
* MINE PLANNING & DESIGN
* MINE UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT
a) Shaft Sinking e) Cross Cutting
b) Aditing f) Raising
c) Tunnelling g) Winzing
d) Drifting h) Stoping

* ORE EXTRACTION/MINE PRODUCTION

* MINE CLOSURE AND REHABILITATION
* POST-MINING MONITORING/MANAGEMENT
* Shaft Sinking - a vertical or inclined excavation in a mine
extending downward from the surface or from some interior point as
a principal opening through which the mine is exploited.
* Cross Cutting – is a horizontal passageway that cuts through the ore
bed perpendicularly.
* Aditing – A horizontal opening with one end open to atmosphere.
* Raising – A vertical or inclined underground working that has been
excavated from the bottom upward.
* Tunnelling – a horizontal or nearly horizontal underground
passage that is open to the atmosphere at both ends.
* Winzing - vertical or inclined passageway that connects 2 levels &
it is dug downward from inside the mine and not from the surface.
* Drifting – is a passage way dug horizontally along the grade line of
the ore seam
* Stoping - to the extraction of ore but does not include the ore
removed in sinking shafts and in driving levels, drifts and other
development openings.
MAJOR MINE U/G ACTIVITIES
- Planning & Design
- Survey Layout
- Drilling
- Blasting
- Mucking
- Ground Support
- Ore Transport
- Haulage and Hoisting
- Ventilation
- Pumping and Water Handling
- U/G Plants and Utilities
UNDERGROUND DRILLING

Principles of Drilling:

- concerned with the penetration into a rockmass using a

mechanized
equipment to provide a hole for placement of explosives
for blasting to
attain the desired fragmentation;
-a drilling system that has the efficiency and suitable and
practical in a
working environment.
PURPOSE OF DRILLING IN U/G MINING
OPERATION :

1. To a hole provide for the installation of

explosives for blasting the rock;
2. To explore for the presence of bodies of water
ahead of mine headings;
3. To search and confirm the extent or existence of
the mineral deposit
4. To create a hole for rock bolting for ground
supports.