Types of stone mines and mining methods

Ⅰ. Types of Stone Mines

Stone mines can be divided into open-pit and underground mining.

 

Open-pit mining is categorized as hillside open-pit, sunken open-pit, and shaft mining.

 

Underground mining is categorized as cavern and tunnel mining.

 

 

1. Open-pit Mining:

Stone mines require the removal of the overburden and weathered layers from the surface of the ore body before mining can begin. Open-pit trenches are excavated from the surface, creating a mining face from which the rough material is removed. Depending on the topographical conditions of the ore deposit, hillside open-pit mining occurs above the lowest surface level of the mine, while sunken open-pit mining occurs below the lowest surface level.

 

Hillside open-pit mining:

Basically, mining is done from top to bottom.

 

Depression open pit mining:

Basically, mining is done from top to bottom.

 

 

 

 

Shaft mining:

This is actually a special case of sunken open pit mining. As stone mining operations have progressed deeper, many mines have evolved from hillside open pits to sunken open pits, and ultimately to shaft mining. Many shaft mines abroad reach depths exceeding 50 meters, sometimes even 80 meters or more.

 

 

2. Underground Mining:

Stone mines, which require tunneling from the surface to reach the ore body before mining, are categorized as tunnel (cave) mining and chamber (shaft) mining.

 

Cave:

Slope open-pit mines, such as some marble mines in Baoxing County, Sichuan, feature steep slopes, large stripping volumes, and extremely dangerous mining operations. These include sunken open-pit mines with inclined ore bodies. These include the white marble mines in Fangshan, Beijing, which require stripping away a significant amount of overburden as mining depth increases. These include some shaft-type marble mines. As mining depth increases, some shaft-type marble mines become unsustainable. Cave mining makes mining more practical.

 

The main mining process is similar to that of sunken open-pit mining, except that a rectangular channel development step is added before formal mining to create a new free face within the ore body, which already has a single free face.

 

Tunnel-type:

Utilizes tunnels left behind by other projects, transportation facilities, or mining operations, and excavates the stone mine within these tunnels.

 

 

 

Ⅱ. Elements of open pit

1 - Working Platform

2 - Safety Platform

3 - Cleaning Platform

4 - Transport Channel

α, β - Final Slope Angles

GF - Lower Final Boundary of the Open-Pit Stope

H - Final Mining Depth of the Open-Pit Stope

AB - Upper Final Boundary of the Open-Pit Stope

ABGHF - Final Boundary of the Open-Pit Stope

 

1. Bench: In open-pit stone mining, the ore body is typically divided into horizontal layers of a certain thickness, which are mined layer by layer from top to bottom. When two or more horizontal layers are mined simultaneously, a certain lead distance must be maintained between the upper and lower layers. During and at the end of mining, steps are formed in space. These stepped working surfaces are called benches. Benches are a fundamental component of an open-pit stone stope and serve as the unit for independent block mining operations.

2. Working Platform: The horizontal portion of each bench.

3. Safety Platform: The boundary of the stope, reserved to ensure the safety of the lower production platform and the stability of the side walls.

4. Cleaning Platform: A cleaning platform is installed every 2-3 safety platforms.

5. Transport Channel: The transport path between the ground and each horizontal layer.

 

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