Subsurface Mining

SUBSURFACE MINING
Subsurface mining is the process of extracting metal ore or

fossil fuel resources from beneath the surface of the ground
 Subsurface mining is used when resources are more than 100 meters (328 feet) below
Earth's surface.
 Begins with a horizontal tunnel dug into the side of a mountain or feature.
 Vertical shafts are drilled from the horizontal tunnel.
 Elevators are used to bring miners down to the resource and back to the surface.
 Resources that often require subsurface mining include coal, diamonds, and gold.
 Shaft mining or shaft sinking is excavating a vertical or near-
vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no
access to the bottom.
WHY IS SHAFT MINING DANGEROUS?
 Many accidents occur when the mine props/land collapse due to earth
tremors.
 Inhaling or being in direct contact with chemicals can cause serious
medical consequences for the mine workers.
 Dangers of collapsing tunnels as well as the risk of poisonous gas,
explosion and underground fire.
 Coal fires release dangerous levels of carbon monoxide which can affect
the heath of the mine workers .
Deep mining and slope mining
 Drift mining utilizes horizontal access tunnels, slope mining uses diagonally sloping
access shafts
WHAT IS THE DEEPEST MINE IN THE
WORLD?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1u8oB0kzuc
 Mponeng gold mine in SA.
WHY IS DEEP LEVEL MINING
COSTLY?
 Underground mining is more expensive because it's more capital
intensive.
 Coal companies have to drill more and use more expensive and
complicated machines.
Factors affecting the viability of extraction of minerals Mining
companies need to consider a range of issues when planning to
open a mine, including;
1. The costs of exploration and extraction
2. Geology
3. Climate
4. Accessibility
5. The environment impact
6. Supply and demand
1. The costs of exploration and
extraction
 Deposits near the surface – low extraction cost
 Deeper deposits – higher extraction cost
2. Geology
 STRIKE RATE: The frequency with which attempted to find a desired
mineral are successful.
Greenfield sites-
Areas that have never mined before for minerals
Chances to find metal ores is rare
The strike rate ranges from 1:50to 1:100 or maybe 1:1000
Brownfield sites-
Areas that have already mined
Chances usually are higher even for low-grade deposits
The Strike rate is higher than greenfield
 High-grade ores yield more of the required chemical elements than
low-grade ores.
 Small deposits of high-grade ore are worth mining. Small deposits
of low-grade ore that cannot be mined at a profit are left as reserves.
3. Climate
 Mining infrastructure is vulnerable to changes in climate and weather.
 If the climate is pleasant, we can carry over the mining easily and vice versa .
4. Accessibility and transportation:
 Transporting the ore from the mine to processing plants can be difficult and expensive.
 The cost of building road or rail links to the processing plant or to the nearest port for export has to be
considered.
 The most economically viable way of transporting heavy minerals such as iron ore is through rail
transport.
 In case of exporting to other countries, large ships called bulk carriers can be used.
 Another way of keeping the transport costs low is to carry out some processing of the ore at the mine
itself.
 The aim of processing is to concentrate the mineral ore and separate it from waste material.
 The waste material is stored at mine.
 This type of processing produces higher grade of ore so it has a higher value per ton.
 Carrying out some processing at the mine reduces transport costs.
5. The Environmental Impacts of Mining
1. Air and noise pollution
2. Water contamination
3. Displacement of wildlife
4. Erosion and sedimentation.
5. Soil degradation
6. Subsidence
7. Underground mine fires
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxF916bedZU
6. Supply and demand
 If the demand is too high, mines that were not profitable before become
worth mining.
 If the demand falls, working mines may get into a loss due to the transport
and extraction expenses.
Managing the impact of rock and mineral
extraction
 Safe disposal of mining waste
 Land restoration and bioremediation
 Bioremediation - a process in which living things are used to remove toxic
chemicals from a natural site.
 Many organisms are able to break down toxic substances.
 Eg: Bacteria,plants
 Insitu treatment- contaminated waste can be treated where it was left.
 Exsitu treatment – waste can be treated from a site to a treatment plant.
Land can be turned into
 a nature reserve
 Reservoir
 Succession(natural process of recoloniation and slow change to the environment).
Sustainable use of rocks
 Find substitutes for the use of relatively scarce materials.
 Copper can be replaced by fibre optic cables.
1. Efficiency of the extraction

New extraction method like chemical and biological treatment of the waste.
Improvements in the performance of the machines
Greater use of data analysis by computers
2. Efficiency of use and recycling
Engineering solutions like steel beam used in buildings to have the same strength
but use less steel.
More durable products that use less minerals and last longer
Waste Electronic and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

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SUBSURFACE MINING

Subsurface mining is the process of extracting metal ore or

1. Efficiency of the extraction

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