Which mining technique describes an underground method where orebody is drilled beneath the surface, loosened, and collected as it falls?

Which mining technique describes an underground method where orebody is drilled beneath the surface, loosened, and collected as it falls?

• A. Cave Mining
• B. Drift
• C. Marine Deposit
• D. Microdiamond Testing

Answer: (A)

Cave mining centers on using gravity to extract ore after it’s loosened underground. In this method, the ore body is drilled and undercut so the surrounding rock fractures and the ore mass can collapse or cave downward. As the ore breaks and falls, it is collected at draw points or chutes below, allowing large quantities to be mined with relatively low labor once the cave is established. This approach suits large, friable ore bodies that can be fragmented and moved by gravity. The other options don’t fit the description: a drift is a horizontal passage used for access rather than exploiting gravity-induced caving; marine deposit refers to offshore seabed mining; and microdiamond testing is a lab evaluation technique, not a mining method.

Cave mining centers on using gravity to extract ore after it’s loosened underground. In this method, the ore body is drilled and undercut so the surrounding rock fractures and the ore mass can collapse or cave downward. As the ore breaks and falls, it is collected at draw points or chutes below, allowing large quantities to be mined with relatively low labor once the cave is established. This approach suits large, friable ore bodies that can be fragmented and moved by gravity.

The other options don’t fit the description: a drift is a horizontal passage used for access rather than exploiting gravity-induced caving; marine deposit refers to offshore seabed mining; and microdiamond testing is a lab evaluation technique, not a mining method.