Underground Mining

Drift Mining: Drift mines are a form of underground mining. This kind of mining is done when the rock or mineral is on the side of a mountain. This makes it an easy, cheaper way to mine. Most of the time the opening to the mine is dug lower so that gravity can help the coal move horizontally.

Advantage: Drift mining is easy and cheap way of mining.

Disadvantage: Many tunnels can cave in, and kill the miners.

Hyperlink: Drift mining

Shaft Mining: Shaft mining is the deepest kind of underground mining.  Miners work at the deepest part of the mine with a machine as they break up the coal so that they can transfer the coal to the surface so that it can be loaded into trucks.

Advantage: Produces very little waste and mill tailings.

Disadvantages: Shaft Mining is very hazardous to workers.

Hyperlink: Shaft Mining

 

 

Room and Pillar Mining: Room and Pillar Mining is when a grid like room is made with pillars of coal are what support the coal seam. The coal that isn’t in the pillars is what is mined.

Advantage: Room and Pillar mining is easy, fast, and you don’t need a lot of equipment to  mine the coal.

Disadvantage: Room and Pillar mining leaves too much coal behind.

Hyperlink: Room and Pillar Mining

 

 Continuous Mining: In continuous mines miners is a machine that has teeth on it that extract coal from the seams up to 38 tons a minute. The method is very efficient to the modern day.

Advantage: Continuous mining is very efficient and a fast way to mine.

Disadvantage: Continuous mining can be pricey because of the large equipment used to extract the coal.

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Longwall Mining:  Longwall mining is when a machine goes through and cuts a strip of coal onto a conveyor belt that moves it to the surface. Longwall mining is one of the most common methods used today.

Advantage: Long wall mining is efficient to modern day.

Disadvantage: Longwall mining makes it to where the mines don’t need a lot of workers, because they only need a few miners to work the equipment.

Hyperlink: Longwall Mining