Drift & Fill, Retreat Mining, and Blast Mining EXPLAINED | Underground Mining Methods (4), English

Описание: Advance your expertise in underground mining methods with this focused geology lecture—created for students, exam prep, and mining professionals! This video covers three essential underground mining techniques:

1. Drift and Fill Mining
What it is: An underground method suited for ore bodies wider than a single drift (horizontal tunnel). Multiple drifts are excavated in sequence, each backfilled with waste after extraction.

Advantages:

High selectivity and ore recovery

Enhanced ground stability and safety through continuous backfilling

Reduces surface subsidence and enables reuse of waste as fill material

Disadvantages:

High operating and backfilling costs

Slower production rate

Labor and equipment intensive; complex backfill logistics

Less optimal for irregular ore geometries

2. Retreat Mining
What it is: The final phase of room and pillar mining. Remaining pillars (ore left to support the roof) are systematically removed as miners "retreat" toward the mine entrance. The roof is allowed to collapse in a controlled way.

Advantages:

Maximizes resource recovery—can achieve up to 90% total extraction

Utilizes existing mine development; increases mine profitability

Disadvantages:

High risk of roof falls and mine collapse

Requires costly and complex roof control measures

Potential equipment damage, operational delays, and surface subsidence

Historically accounts for a high percentage of mining accidents

3. Blast Mining (Drill and Blast)
What it is: Utilizes controlled explosives to break rock, making ore extraction possible. Holes are drilled in the rock, filled with explosives, detonated, and the broken ore is removed.

Advantages:

Highly adaptable to various ore body shapes

Low initial investment (mainly drilling and explosives)

Flexible blast pattern design; high productivity with proper planning

Minimizes surface disturbance when done underground

Disadvantages:

Safety risks from explosives and possible misfires

Ground vibration can cause overbreak, dilution, or structural damage

Environmental and regulatory challenges

Can be slower than fully mechanized tunneling for long headings

You Will Learn:

Principles, step-by-step process, and real-world scenarios for each mining method

Pros and cons, with textbook-backed insights on efficiency and safety

Key terminology, typical applications, and why each method is chosen for specific ore bodies

Based on leading mining geology textbooks, industry guidance, and up-to-date field practices—this lecture is a must for geology students, mining engineers, and early-career professionals!

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