Basic underground mining

So, you dig a tunnel into the ground and hopefully get something worthwhile out of the ground.

Can someone beef this up please?

Lots of things to learn

An underground is necessarily (by definition) under the ground. So the first thing is how do you get under the ground? The first obvious thing is you dig a hole. If the ore body is close to the surface then the mining method used is "open pit mining". Many of the isses about mining are common to open pit and underground mining, but I started with the latter.

Entry Portal or Pithead

If your starting place is a vertical face then the entry point is called a "Portal". However if you dig a hole vertically you need some sort of "winding gear" or "crane" to allow for access. Portal entry has advantages as it allows mobile equipment to move itself into the mine.

In either case you need a tunnel.

Three broad types of tunnel: Vertical (Rise) Horizontal (Drive) and Decline

All of these tunnels may be raw or lined. For safety's sake a lined tunnel is a much better idea. This means that the sides of the tunnel are coated and bolted or some sort of artificial liner (pipe or casing) is inserted into the raw tunnel to give it additional strength and to stop the native material from bursting into the tunnel.

Hanging wall Footwall

Stopes Drive Decline

Stress

Autocompression

Boggers and Bogging (Mucking?) Underground Trucks and Hauling Integrated Tool Carriers (ITs or ITCs) Raise Bore Boxhole

Drilling Jumbo

Blasting Charging Shotfiring Detonators

Shotcreting Meshing Bolting Cable Bolting

Safety and Security Lighting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Tagboards

Danger Signs

Slabs Blocks Boulders Sumps

Mono Pumps

Jumbos

Fans Ventilation Vent Bags Risers

...

The list is endless