INTRODUCTION TO MINING

MNE - 201 (ESO1)

Lecture-5
 Classification of Mining Methods:
Acceptance/Locale Class Subclass Method Commodities
Surface Mechanical Open pit mining Metal, Non-metal
Extraction Quarrying Non-metal
Open cast (Strip) mining Coal, Non-metal
Auger mining Coal
Aqueous Placer Hydraulicking Metal, Non-metal
Extraction Dredging Metal, Non-metal
Solution Borehole mining Non-metal
Leaching Metal
Underground Unsupported Bord & Pillar mining Coal
Room& Pillar mining Metal, Non-metal
Stope and Pillar mining Metal, Non-metal
Shrinkage stoping Metal, Non-metal
Sublevel stoping Metal, Non-metal
Supported Cut and Fill stoping Metal
Stull stoping Metal
Square set stoping Metal
Caving Longwall mining Coal
Sublevel caving Metal
Block caving Metal
1.1 Mechanical Extraction Methods:
In this method the extraction of the mineral/ore from
the earth depends on the mechanical means
1.1.1 Open pit mining:
Open pit mining can be defined as the process of
extraction of near surface deposit by means of a
surface pit
It is used when ore deposit is in shallow depth and
little overburden (OB) needs to be removed
It is used for metallic and non-metallic deposits and
sometimes in coal and other deposits
In open pit mining, the overburden (OB) is
transported to waste dump and use same equipment
for stripping OB and mining mineral/ore
1.1.2 Quarrying:
It is the process of extraction of dimension
stone
It is costly mining method
Dimension stone: Marble, Granite, Limestone,
Sandstone, Slate, etc.
1.1.3 Opencast (Strip) Mining:
It is another type of mechanical extraction surface
mining method, which is mainly used to extract
coal and other bedded deposit
It is sued when mineral/ore deposits are in high
depth
In opencast mining, the OB is not transported to
waste dump but cast directly into adjacent mined
out areas
It requires separate equipment for stripping OB
and mining mineral/ore
It looks like open pit mining
1.1.3.1 Area Strip Mining:
It is conducted on fairly flat with flat-lying seams
to extract deposits over a large area
1.1.3.2 Contour Strip Mining:
It is conducted in hilly or mountainous terrain

Diagrams to show appropriate topography for L: Area mining, and R: Contour mining

If the topography is relatively flat as illustrated in the left figure,

then area mining is appropriate
If the terrain is hilly or mountainous as indicated by the figure on
the right, then contour mining is indicated
1.1.4 Auger Mining:
It is the extraction of the coal or other minerals
from under the highwall when the opencast mining
achieved Break Even Stripping point
Auger mining can be achieved by two methods:
1.1.4.1 By Augering Equipments:
Use traditional Augering equipments to drill
holes in the coal seam from the pit bottom
1.1.4.2 By Highwall Mining:
It is the practice of sending a small, remotely
control continuous miner into the highwall to
mine parallel entries
Highwall Mining
Highwall Mining
1.2 Aqueous Mining:
Aqueous extraction includes all the methods that
employ water or a liquid solvent to recover
minerals/ ores from the earth
1.2.1 Placer mining:
Placer mining is a collection of mining methods
that use water to separate valuable ore from the
surrounding sediment
Minerals recovered by placer mining are:
 Gold, Platinum, Tin, Diamonds, Titaniferous and
Ferrous iron sands, and
Minor amounts of chromite, scheelite, columbite,
monzonite, gemstones, and abrasives
The two principal methods of Placer Mining in
common use are:
(a) Hydraulicking and (b) dredging.

1.2.1.1 Hydraulicking:
Hydraulicking is a form of mining that uses high-
pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or
move sediment
In hydraulicking, a high-pressure stream of water
is directed against a bank to undercut and cave it
Hydraulicking
1.2.1.2 Dredging:
Dredging is the underwater excavation of a placer
deposit, usually carried out from a floating vessel
called a dredge, which may incorporate processing
and waste disposal facilities
Dredging Deep Sea or
Marine Mining
Method
Shallow water Mechanical Bucket Line Dredge
Methods Dredge
Hydraulic Cutter Head
Dredge or Suction Dredge
Suction Dredge Cutter Wheel
Suction Dredge
Dredges are classified as follows:
i) Mechanical Dredge:
Mechanical Dredges are those that mechanically excavate
and transport the mineral
a) Bucket line dredge:
 The Bucket line dredge is the continuous excavating
machine for poorly consolidated or loose materials
with some boulders
 Endless chain of buckets revolving along ladder
b) Bucket wheel suction dredge:
The bucket-wheel system consists of a rotating wheel
with digging buckets on the periphery that discharge into
a ladder-mounted belt conveyor or a hydraulic pipeline
Buckets discharge in suction pipe line
Figure: Bucket-line dredge
c) Dipper Dredge:
Dipper Dredges are able to dig tougher, more
consolidated materials with boulders
Mainly Sand and Gravel deposits

ii) Hydraulic Dredge:

Hydraulic Dredges (also called suction dredges) are
designed to transport the mineral in slurry form, using
water as the transport medium
a)Bucket-wheel cutter heads:
Relatively recent innovation and ideal for
mining dredges
Digging buckets are mounted on the periphery
of a rotating wheel attached to the digging end
of the ladder
The buckets have tremendous torque and are
capable of removing weathered bedrock
They can be designed to discharge directly into
a suction pipe or conveyor without spillage of
materials
Figure : Cutter head suction dredge with rigid boom and spuds
(cutterhead could be replaced by a bucket-wheel cutter)
Figure : Suction hopper dredges
Figure : Bucket wheel dredge
Figure: Ladder dredge
Figure : Diagram of a suction dredge
1.2.2 Solution Mining:
It is the process in which mineral or ore are
recovered by dissolution, leaching, melting, or
slurrying process
Gold, Silver, Copper, Uranium, Salt, Magnesium,
Sulfer, etc
1.2.2.1 Borehole Mining:
In Borehole Mining, water is injected by wells into a
mineral formation where it dissolves, melts, or slurries the
valuable mineral and is then returned to the surface through
wellbores
Mineral recoverable by borehole mining:
Salt, Potash – by dissolution Sulfer – by melting
Phosphate – by slurrying etc
1.2.2.1 Leaching:
Leaching is the chemical extraction of metals or minerals
from the confines of an ore deposit as well as from material
already excavated and mined
The process is basically chemical but may be bacterial as
well
If the extraction is carried out on mineral in place , then it
is termed in-situ leaching
If it is performed on previously mined material in
dumps, or tailings, it is called heap leaching