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When coal seams are near the surface, it may be economical to extract the coal using open-cut, also referred to as open-cast, open-pit, mountaintop removal or strip, mining methods. Opencast coal mining recovers a greater proportion of the coal deposit than underground methods, as more of the coal seams in the strata may be exploited. This ...
Room and pillar mining was one of the earliest methods used, [3] although with significantly more manpower. The room and pillar system is used in mining coal, gypsum, [4] iron, [5] limestone, [6] and uranium [7] ores, particularly when found as manto or blanket deposits, stone and aggregates, talc, soda ash, and potash. [8]
Underground soft-rock mining is a group of underground mining techniques used to extract coal, oil shale, potash, and other minerals or geological materials from sedimentary ("soft") rocks. [1] Because deposits in sedimentary rocks are commonly layered and relatively less hard , the mining methods used differ from those used to mine deposits in ...
Longwall mining is a form of underground coal mining where a long wall of coal is mined in a single slice (typically 0.6–6.0 m (2 ft 0 in – 19 ft 8 in) thick). The section of rock that is being mined, known as the longwall panel, is typically 3–4 km (1.9–2.5 mi) long, but can be up to 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long and 250–400 m (820–1,310 ft) wide.
Borehole mining tool and technology principle schematic. Borehole Mining (BHM) is a remote operated method of extraction (mining) of mineral resources through boreholes based on in-situ conversion of ores into a mobile form (slurry) by means of high pressure water jetting (hydraulicking). This process is carried-out from a land surface, open ...
Cut and fill mining is a method of short-hole mining used in steeply dipping or irregular ore zones, in particular where the hanging wall limits the use of long-hole methods. The ore is mined in horizontal or slightly inclined slices, and then filled with waste rock, sand or tailings. Either fill option may be cemented with binders to add ...
The coal industry asserts that surface mining techniques, such as mountaintop removal, are safer for miners than sending miners underground. [ 28 ] Proponents argue that in certain geologic areas, MTR and similar forms of surface mining allow the only access to thin seams of coal that traditional underground mining would not be able to mine.
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, [1] is a surface mining technique that extracts rock or minerals from the earth. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface where the overburden is relatively thin.