Course: GMT 308

Mining Methods and Systems

 Structure of lectures (26+7)
Module Descriptions Lectures

1 Introduction to mining methods and systems 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Opening of Deposits: Shaft, Adits; Mine Development; Operations, Methods and Procedure;
st, 2ndStoping
rd,Procedure;
th, 5thHaulage of
2 Mining methods and systems
Minerals; Methods of Development of Main Horizon; Arrangement of Raise 1 , 3 4
3 Mine operational works 1st, 2nd, 3rd
4 Stress analysis and distribution 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
5 Support and Reinforcement 1st, 2nd, 3rd
6 Design and Layout 1st, 2nd, 3rd
7 Mining Activities in Bangladesh 1st
8 Practical (GMP-313) 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
 Module 1 Lecture 2

Introduction to Mining Methods and systems

Methods and Procedure, Stopping Procedure

Mining:-Why, how,
 Stages in the life of mine
 Methods and Procedure, Surface and underground mining
 Cut and fill stopping methods and its mining proceudres
Why do we mine minerals?
Mineral products are essential components for many elements and properties we used in
our daily life: –
Cell phones, cars, energy towers, solar panels, wind turbines, fertilizers, machinery and all
kinds of construction and so on.
To meet the demand, we have to exploit and explore mineral resources and extracted
continuously

What is mining?
Mining is the process to extract the ore or mineral resources from ground. An ore is a
natural material with high concentration of economically valuable minerals that can be
mined for a profit.
 Stages in the life of a Mine
Stages Procedure Time-span
Precursors to Mining
1. Prospecting Search for ore 1-3 years
a. Prospecting methods
Direct: Physical, geological
Indirect: Geophysical, geochemical
b. Locate favorable loci (maps, literature, old mines)
c. Air: Aerial photography, airborne geophysics, satellite
d. Surface: Ground geophysics, geology
e. Spot anomaly, analyze, evaluation

2. Exploration Defining extent and value of ore (examination/evaluation) 2-5 years

a. Sample (drilling or excavation)
b. Estimate tonnage and grade
c. Valuate deposit: Present value = Income – Cost
Feasibility study: make decision to abandon or develop
Stages Procedure Time-span
Mining Proper
3. Development Opening up ore deposit for production 2-5 years
a. Acquire mining rights (purchase or lease), if not done in stage 2
b. File environmental impact statement, technology assessment, permit
c. Construct access roads, transport system
d. Locate surface plant, construct facilities
e. Excavate deposit (strip or sink shaft)
4. Exploration Large-scale production of ore 10-30 years
a. Factors to be considered: Geologic, geographic, economic, environmental,
societal safety
b. Types of mining methods
Surface: Open pit, opencast etc.
Underground: Room and pillar, Cut & fill, Longwall, block caving
c. Monitor costs and economic payback
Post-Mining
5. Reclamation Restoration of site 1-10 years
a. Removal of plant and buildings
b. Reclamation of waste and tailings dumps
c. Monitoring of discharges
Exploration
The beginning of any mining project begins with the exploration stage. It's where the
magic happens. Companies enlist geologists and others to prospect remote areas in search
of mineral deposits. Methods such as geological surface mapping and sampling,
geophysical measurements and geochemical analysis is often applied at an early stage to
pin out potential deposits.
Mine-site design and planning
Once mapping and mineral resource data is collected, and the results are strong, the
project can move forward to the design and planning stage. This typically consist of studies
to help companies determine if and how a project can be safe, environmentally sound,
economically viable and socially responsible.
Construction
If you build it, they will come. The construction process occurs after research, permitting
and approvals are complete. Construction of mining sites invovles building roads,
processing facilities, environmental management systems, employee housing and other
facilities.
Production
The two most common methods of mining are surface and underground mining. The
method is determined mainly by the characteristics of the mineral deposit and the limits
imposed by safety, technology, environmental and economical concerns.

The first step in the production stage is recovering the minerals. This is the process of
extracting the ore from rock using a variety of tools and machinery.

The second step is processing. The recovered minerals are processed through huge
crushers or mills to separate commercially valuable minerals from their ores.

Once processed, the ore is then transported to smelting facilities.

The final step in production is smelting. This process involves melting the concentrate in a
furnance to extract the metal from its ore. The ore is then poured into moulds, producing
bars of bullion, which are then ready for sale.
Closure and reclamation
The fifth and final stage in mining operations is closure and reclamation. Once a mining
site has been exhausted of reserves, the process of closing the site occurs, dismantling all
facilities on the property. The reclamation stage is then implemented, returning the land
to its original state.
A comprehensive rehabilitation program has many clearly stated objectives which may
include:
 Ensuring public health and safety
 Minimizing environmental effects
 Removing waste and hazardous material
 Preserving water quality
 Stabilizing land to protect against erosion
 Establishing new landforms and vegetation
Surface Mining Methods
Some common surface mining methods are:
Open-pit : Reclamation after completion
Open-cast : Reclamation during mining
Quarries : Stone, crushed rock, sand, gravel
Strip Mining : Removing surface (Overburden rock) in strips up to the resources

Surface Mining
A mine in which ore lies near surface and can be extracted by removing the covering layers
of rock or soil. Almost all surface mining operations are exposed to the elements and
require no roof support
Surface mining terminology
 Various open-pit and orebody configuration:

Flat lying seam or bed, flat terrian Dipping seam or bed, flat terrian

Massive deposit, high relief

Thick bedded deposit, little orverburden, flat terrian
Sub-surface/underground Mining
Mineral exploitation in which all the
extraction is carried out beneath the surface
of earth developing openings and passage up
to the mineral resources.
Underground mining terminology
Different type of underground mining methods
Supported Unsupported Caving methods
methods methods
1) Cut and fill 1) Room-and-pillar 1) Longwall
stoping mining mining
2) Stull stoping 2) Stope-and-pillar 2) Sublevel
mining caving
3) Square set 3) Shrinkage stoping 3) Block Caving
stoping
4) Sublevel stoping
Table: Methods for Underground Mine
 Methods and Procedure
Methods: The methods is a package of techniques to perform for a completion of any
project; i.e. Open pit methods, underground methods, room and pillar methods, etc.
Procedures: Procedures are the step-by-step tasks those need to do in any particular
method.
Cut and Fill Stoping
A stoping method in which the ore is excavated by successive flat or inclined slices, working
upward from the level, as in shrinkage stoping. However, after each slice is blasted down, all
broken ore is removed, and the stope is filled with waste up to within a few feet of the back
before the next slice is taken out, just enough room being left between the top of the waste
pile and the back of the stope to provide working space. The term cut-and-fill stoping implies
a definite and characteristic sequence of operations:
(1) breaking a slice of ore from the back;
(2) removing the broken ore; and
(3) introducing filling.
 Cut and Fill Stoping: (cont.)
This method is used in vertical stopes and in mining high-grade irregular ore bodies.
 The rock mass surrounding the ore deposit is usually week
 Unable to support loads over and extended stoping height
 Successive cutting of the ore into horizontal slices is carried out starting from the
bottom and progressing upwards towards the surface
 The ore is extracted in horizontal slices and replaced with backfill material
 The fill material varies, depending on the support required, and the material available.
It is one of the popular and expensive but selective mining method, with low
ore loss and dilution. This method is applied only in high grade
minerals/resources. (why?)
Voids are backfilled with a variety of fill type to support the walls ----rock waste,
tailings, sand or other suitable materials
Cut and Fill Stoping: (cont.)
 Mining Procedure of Cut and fill stoping
 In cut and fill stoping, the orebody is retrieved in horizontal slices
beginning at the very bottom and advancing upwards towards the
surface.
 Ramps (inclined tunnels) are excavated to connect the surface to the
underground ore body.
 Drifts are excavated to come in contact with the ore slices. The slices
are drilled using a jumbo, blasted by charging the drill holes with
explosives, and ore is removed by using dump trucks or Load Haul
Dump (LHD) vehicles.
 The ore is dumped into an ore pass, an inclined tunnel where ore is
transported to a lower elevation in the mine.
 The ore is picked up at the other end of the ore pass by a LHD to be
transported out of the mine through a ramp (inclined tunnel).
 Once a slice is completely mined out, the empty space is partially
backfilled hydraulically.
 The backfill material used can be a mixture of sand and rocks, waste rock
with cement, or dewatered mill tailings (rejected low grade ore from
processing, usually fine and sandy).
 The backfill underground serves to keep the mine walls stable and also
as the floor for mining the next slice.
 Mining continues upwards towards the surface until the orebody is
depleted.
 Basic differentiation of mining methods
Issues Underground Mining Open-pit Mining
Deposits Relatively small, high grade or Relatively large, low grade or shallow,
deep with sub-vertical ore zone with sub-horizontal ore zone
Geology Structurally controlled veins and Lithology controlled stockworks,
breccias disseminated zones
Resources/ Generally difficult or not cost Generally cost effective to establish 10
Reserves effective to prove up large to 15 year resource/reserve life
resources/reserves
Productivity 500 to 8,000 tonnes per day 5,000 to 100,000 tonnes per day
Environmental Generally easier to permit, limited Large footprint from pit, waste dumps
footprint. Relatively cheap to and tailings, relatively expensive to
reclaim reclaim
Mine Life To > 100 years 10 to 25 years, rarely longer