Slope Mining

With fast progress of modern industry, the demand for products manufactured from metal ores has gone up literally. In order to meet this demand, the awareness of uninterrupted mining, which can sharply elevate stope productivity and cut mining costs, has become a big trend in the development of mining techniques in underground mines. Classified under the category of main types of underground mines, slope mining is quite similar to shaft mine with the exception of that the coal is closer to the surface and passage to the coal is accessed by a burrow that is dug on slant. Despite the fact that, the actual mine tends to not be very deep, with this mining technique, the coal stratum have a tendency to be very deep with a parallel position to the ground.

With the help of conveyor belt system or track haulage, the coal is transported up to the surface in the slope tunnel. Moreover, electric hoist or a trolley locomotive and steel rope comes into play, if in case the tunnel grade is steep. Based on the depth of the coal seam and the surrounding terrain, the decision of what type of mine to construct is decided. More or less all underground mines are not as much of 1,000 feet deep, but some mines reach depths of about 2,000 feet. As a rule, slope mines begin in a valley bottom, and a tunnel slopes down to the coal to be mined.