Block caving eBook
Block cave mining is becoming increasingly attractive for open pit operations struggling to find orebodies close to the earth’s surface. And for new projects, cave mining requires a much smaller footprint and generates less waste.
Generally best suited for lower grade ore reserves, block caving involves an elaborate pre-construction process that can take several years to develop, with considerable upfront capital expenditure. However, once production begins, the cost of block cave mining is as low as open pit mining, about one-tenth the cost of conventional underground methods. Production rates can reach 30,000 to 100,000 tons per day, a comparable rate for an open pit processing plant. Drilling and blasting costs are far less, and there are no backfilling costs. Block caving sharply reduces surface waste disposal compared with open pit operations because the amount of waste rock generated from block caving is far less.
In this eBook you'll learn about:
- introduction to block caving
- footprint and Best Height of Draw (BHOD)
- material flow; mining sequence and production schedule
- continual updating and monitoring
- improving operations throughout the mine’s life
Download eBook:
caving caving 101 series
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