Soft rock underground
Due to the inherent lower strength and hardness of coal and agricultural minerals, alternative methods such as mechanised cutting and auger drilling are available to mine the targeted economic material. These technologies normally form part of the criteria for mining methods selection and design.
Underground mining methods in flat dipping soft-rock applications (generally agricultural minerals, coal and salt) are identified by highly mechanised methods based on continuous miners on bord and pillar mines, with and without pillar extraction or stooping mining methods.
Long wall and shortwall mining methods are more capital intensive but at high production rates and significantly reduced operational cost. These methods require specific geotechnical conditions and large target areas that are structurally simple and without significant floor undulations.