This document provides an overview of different mining methods used to extract ore bodies and industrial minerals. It discusses underground mining techniques like room and pillar, sublevel caving, and cut-and-fill that require artificial support. Surface mining methods like open pit, strip, and quarry are also covered. The document outlines placer mining and solution mining techniques. It concludes by discussing future mining methods such as ocean, asteroid, and robot-assisted mining.

1. ME551/GEO551 Introduction to
Geology of Industrial Minerals
Spring 2011
BASIC CONCEPTS: MINING
METHODS, TRANSPORTATION,
MARKETING

2. Ore bodies come in many sizes
and geometric shapes and mining
methods must conform to each
specific ore body and metal
recovery economics.

3. Mining methods?

4. Mining methods
• Underground
• Surface
• Placer
• Leaching/solution

5. Surface
• Strip
• open pit
• quarry

6. http://www.uky.edu/KGS/coal/surface_equip.htm

7. http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/lrp/homeim.htm

8. Underground
• methods producing natural or minimal
support (room and pillar)
• caving methods where failure of the back
(roof or overburden) is required (sublevel
caving, block caving)
• methods that require substantial artificial
support (cut and fill or stope backfill)

9. http://www.digistar.mb.ca/minsci/ug/undergm.htm

11. Room and pillar

12. Sublevel caving
Kvapil, 1992, with permission from SME

13. Block caving at El Teniente
from Julin, 1992, with permission from SME

14. Cut-and-fill method

15. Placer
mining
http://www.homestead.com/theclaimpost/PlacerMiningMethods.html

16. Solution mining
http://www.saltinstitute.org/images/saltdome.gif
http://web.ead.anl.gov/saltcaverns/desc/index.htm

17. http://www.uic.com.au/nip40.htm

18. Future methods
• Ocean mining
• Deep sea nodules
• Asteroid mining
• Robots

19. http://books.smenet.org/Min_Eng_Hndbk/meh2-toc.cfm

20. http://www.admmr.state.az.us/Publications/circ065improcess.html

21. • How are commodity prices determined?
1 pg answer emailed to me by Feb 15