MINING METHODS Edited by Turgay Onargan Mining Methods Edited by Turgay Onargan Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2012 InTech All chapters are Open Access distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. As for readers, this license allows users to download, copy and build upon published chapters even for commercial purposes, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. Notice Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published chapters. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Petra Nenadic Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic Cover Designer InTech Design Team First published March, 2012 Printed in Croatia A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from [email protected] Mining Methods, Edited by Turgay Onargan p. cm. ISBN 978-953-51-0289-2 Contents Preface IX Part 1 Surface Mining 1 Chapter 1 Surface Coal Mining Methods in Australia 3 Rudrajit Mitra and Serkan Saydam Chapter 2 Surface Coal Mining Methods in China 23 Changsheng Ji Part 2 Underground Mining 31 Chapter 3 Ground Control for Underground Evaporite Mine in Turkey 33 T. Onargan, K. Kucuk, A. Deliormanli, S. Saydam and M.Y. Koca Chapter 4 Longhole Stoping at the Asikoy Underground Copper Mine in Turkey 47 Alper Gönen Chapter 5 Leak Tightness of Underground Carbon Dioxide Storage Sites and Safety of Underground CO Storage 2 by Example of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Poland) 53 Eleonora Solik-Heliasz Preface Recovery of minerals from subsurface rock involves the development of physical access to the mineralized zone, liberation of the ore from the enclosing host rock and transport of this material to the mine surface. Excavations of various shapes, sizes, orientations and functions are required to support the series of operations which comprise the complete mining process. Several methodologies have been developed in the past to evaluate suitable mining methods for an ore deposit, based on the physical and mechanical characteristics of the deposit such as shape, grade, and geo-mechanical properties of the rock. Mining method selection is the fundamental decision made in a mine project, and a proper choice is critical as it affects almost all other major decisions. Also, the selection of a suitable mining method for an ore deposit involves consideration of a diverse set of criteria. This book describes methods for the surface and underground mining of mineral deposits. The descriptions are generalized and focus on typical applications from different mining areas around the world, keeping in mind, however, that every mineral deposit, with its geology, grade, shape, and volume, is unique. The book was divided into two main sections. The first section is about the surface mining and provides examples of coal mining applications from Australia and China. The second section covers the underground mining applications from Turkey and Poland. This book will help identification of useful concepts and ideas in the light of achievements made to date and strengthen research effort for the benefit of mining industries. Prof. Dr. Turgay Onargan Dept. of Mining Engineering Dokuz Eylul University Izmir Turkey