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SURFACE MINING METHODS
By Gul Muhammad
(Mining Engineer)
CONTENTS 3
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• Types of mining methods

• Surface mining methods
• Open pit mining
• Open cast mining
• Quarrying
• Auger mining or Highwall mining
• Advantages and disadvantages of surface mining
• Conclusion
• Questions and their Answers
MINING METHODS 4
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• Surface Mining Methods

• Underground Mining Methods
SURFACE MINING 5
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• Surface mining is the process of extraction of minerals by removal of

overburden.
• Overburden is the rock or waste material which is lying on the mineral to
be mined.
• Ore body lies near the surface.
• Almost all surface mining operations are exposed to the environment.
• Surface Mining is one of the oldest methods of mining.
• Surface mining is the predominant exploitation procedure worldwide.
SURFACE MINING METHODS 6
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• Open Pit Mining

• Open Cast Mining Mechanical
Methods
• Quarrying
• Auger Mining

These methods are responsible for more than 90% of the surface
mine production in the United States
SURFACE MINING METHODS 7
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• Hydraulicking
• Dredging Aqueous
• Borehole mining Methods

• Leaching mining
FACTORS INFLUENCING CHOICE OF MINING
METHODS 8
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• Depth of the deposit

• Shape of the deposit
• Thickness of the deposit
• Dip of the deposit
• Availability of machineries
• Economic value of minerals
• Characteristics of roof and floor
OPEN PIT MINING 9
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• The open pit mining is a mechanical extraction method. In this

method, any thick deposit is mined in series of benches and any
thin deposit may require only a single bench or face.
• Open Pit Mining is the process of mining any near surface deposit
by means of a surface pit excavated using one or more horizontal
benches.
• Used for both metallic and non metallic deposits.
• In this method huge portions of Earth are dug from the surface to
extract the desired mineral resulting in a large pit.
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Terminologies

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OPEN PIT MINING: Sequence of Development 20
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• Land is cleared
• Surface buildings are located and constructed
• Location of waste dumps, ore storage and processing plant etc.
• Equipment is selected and acquired as needed
• Advanced stripping of overburden then commences to allow
exploitation of the ore to begin on schedule.
• Stripping and mining are later conducted in a carefully
coordinated manner, in keeping with short range and long range
mining plans.
OPEN PIT MINING: Main Operations 21
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• Drilling: auger(weak rock), roller bit rotary(average rock) and

percussion(hard rock)
• Blasting: using ANFO and other explosives
• Loading: by power shovel, hydraulic shovel, front end loader etc.
• Haulage: by trucks or dumpers
OPEN PIT MINING: Auxiliary Operations 22
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• Slope stability
• Dust control
Difference between
• Pumping and drainage
Haulage and Hoisting???
• Waste disposal
• Maintenance of equipment
• Haul roads
• Personal transport
OPEN PIT MINING: Conditions 23
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Ore strength: any

Rock strength: any
Deposit shape: any, but prefer deposits parallel to the surface
Deposit size: large or thick
Deposit dip: any, prefer deposits with low dip
Ore grade: can be low if other conditions are favorable
Ore uniformity: prefer uniform ore, but blending can be
implemented in most operations
Depth: shallow to intermediate(depends on economic stripping
ratio)
OPEN CAST MINING or STRIP MINING 24
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• The method which consists of stripping surface layers off to reveal

ore/seams underneath.
• In this method the overburden is not transported to waste dumps
for disposal but cast directly into adjacent mined-out panels.
• Excavation and casting performed by a single machine(Dragline)
• Sometimes overburden is loaded into conveyances and deposited
in mined-out areas.
• Large scale mining
• 60% coal is extracted by this method in United States
OPEN CAST MINING: Sequence of
Development 25
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• Clearing of the land

• Surface plant is located and constructed
• Coal dumping, storage, processing and transport facilities are
located logically with respect to the mining.
• Equipment is selected
• Then initial pit development takes place
• First cut
• Simultaneous development and exploitation can then proceed in a
normal fashion.
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OPEN CAST MINING: Main Operations 30
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If rock is hard
• Cleaning
• Drilling
• Blasting
• Then Excavation and Haulage by dragline
OPEN CAST MINING: Auxiliary Operations 31
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• Slope stability of dumped material

• Reclamation
• Haul road construction and maintenance
• Equipment maintenance
• Drainage and pumping
• Communications
• Power distribution
• Dust control
• Safety
OPEN CAST MINING: Conditions 32
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Ore strength: any

Rock strength: any
Deposit shape: tabular, bedded
Deposit size: prefer continuous deposit, large in lateral extent
Deposit dip: any, prefer horizontal or low dip
Ore grade: can be low if other conditions are favorable
Ore uniformity: prefer uniformity
Depth: shallow to moderate to control stripping ratio
AUGER or HIGHWALL MINING 33
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• Auger mining is a mining method that recovers coal or other minerals

from under the highwall when the ultimate stripping ratio has been
achieved in open cast mining operations.
• An augering machine or a continuous mining device that bores parallel
holes or entries into the highwall extracts the coal.
• The equipment goes underground while the crew remains on the surface.
• Recovery: about 60%
• Very much economical
• Requirement : highwall
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AUGER MINING: Conditions 35
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Ore strength: any

Rock strength: any
Deposit shape: tabular, bedded
Deposit size: small to large
Deposit dip: low, nearly horizontal
Ore grade: can be low
Ore uniformity: uniform in thickness, free of partings
Depth: shallow to moderate
QUARRYING 36
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• Identical to open pit mining

• This method is mainly used for dimension stones
• Quarrying produces rectangular or square blocks of rock that are
roughly sized and shaped.
• Small benches with steep slope compare to open pit mining
• Overall height up to 300 meters or more
• Highly selective
• Costly due to accurate cutting of the blocks and using expansion
explosive.
• Dimension stone – used for construction and decoration.
QUARRYING 37
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• For Quarrying of dimension stones. Watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa0Z0m4UmYo
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QUARRYING: Conditions 43
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Ore strength: structurally sound, free of unwanted defects

Rock strength: any
Deposit shape: thick-bedded or massive; large in lateral extent
Deposit size: large, thick
Deposit dip: any, if thick
Ore grade: high in physical and visual qualities
Ore uniformity: uniform
Depth: shallow to intermediate
DIFFERENT TYPE OF MACHINERY AND
TRANSPORT SYSTEM USED IN SURFACE MINES 44
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• Drill Machine
• Shovel + Dumper
• Dragline
• Surface Miner
• Bucket Wheel Excavator
• In-pit Crusher + Spreader
• Belt Conveyors System
• Rail Transport System
• Tracks
ADVANTAGES OF SURFACE MINING 45
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• Like Underground Mining no minerals are blocked as shaft pillars ,

supports , roadways etc.
• Roof control and ventilation is not required .
• Low cost as compared to Underground Mining .
• Low labor requirement than Underground Mining.
• Hazards and dangers are lesser than Underground Mining.
• Quality control is easy.
• Female labors can work in Surface Mining.
• High degree of mechanization is possible.
• High explosives can be used .
LIMITATION OF SURFACE MINING 46
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• This method can be uneconomic for extracting the minerals at a

depth of more than 300 m.
• There maybe huge environmental problems.
• Weather affects.
• Limited by striping ratio.
• Require a remote area for mine waste deposal.
• Degradation of surface land.
CONCLUSIONS 47
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• About 85% of the world coal is obtained by open cast mining

method.
• By these methods, more production can be obtained than
underground mining method.
• Safe operations
• Highly mechanization is possible
• No need of ventilation
• Simplicity in auxiliary operation and service
• High recovery
• High selectivity
REFERENCES 48
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2020

• Elements of Mining Technology (Vol. 1&3) By D.J.Deshmukh

• Introduction to Mining Engineering by Howard L. Hartman
• Pictures from Google
• Help from Slideshare.com
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