deep mines
Shafts into earth
Deep mines are underground excavations that extend far below the earth's surface to extract minerals, coal, or ore.
Unlike open-pit operations, deep mines require shafts and tunnels to reach deposits hundreds or thousands of feet down.
The term emphasizes depth rather than any fixed measurement: The deep mines of South Africa reach nearly two and a half miles underground.
- shaftNarrow vertical passage
- underground tunnelEnclosed passage below ground
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- excavationAct of unearthing
coal · coal face · ore · darkness · safety lamp · cavern · descent · going down · pit · pit head · extraction · headframe · black lung · lantern · subterranean · drilling · collapse · ventilation
deep minesopen-pit mines
Unroofed mineral extraction sites
strip mines · quarries · mountaintop removal · gravel pits · panning
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