underground mine
Ore extraction tunnel
An underground mine is a mine where workers and equipment descend below the earth's surface to extract minerals, coal, or ore, as opposed to surface mining where material is removed from an open pit.
Underground mines use tunnels, shafts, and chambers to access deposits too deep for economical surface extraction: The underground mine reached depths of over a mile.
The term distinguishes deeper operations from strip mines and quarries.
- shaftNarrow vertical passage
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
- coalCombustible sedimentary rock
- coal seamUnderground fuel deposit layer
- oreMetal-bearing rock
darkness · excavation · pickaxe · headlamp · safety lamp · canary · black lung · collapse · cave in · cavern · minecart · seam · depth · subterranean · gold · pithead · ventilation · rubble
- copper miningcopper ore, copper production, smelting, refining, open pit
- mininggold, coal, oil, shafts, mining industry
- Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush, gold mining, gold flakes, gold nuggets, gold pan
- coal powercoal dust, coal seam, coal yard, coal bunker, anthracite
- diamond miningkimberlite, excavation, rough diamond, rough diamonds, De Beers
- gem miningdiamond mining, gem cutting, gem quality, rough diamond, rough stones
underground mineopen-pit mine
Surface-level excavation for ore
surface mine · strip mine · quarry · openwork
underground, mine, under, ground, undergrounds, mines, mined, miner, miners