How does cut-and-fill stoping extract underground zinc ore?

Cut-and-fill stoping is a primary method for extracting deeply located underground zinc sulfide ores. This flexible technique involves removing ore in a series of horizontal drifting slices.12

The process functions as follows:

• Excavation: Miners excavate a horizontal slice of the ore body.2
• Backfilling: Once a slice is removed, the resulting void is filled, typically with waste material generated from the mineral-processing plant.23
• Progression: The process repeats, with the next slice of ore mined atop the previous fill.2

In the most common variation, known as overhand cut-and-fill mining, operations begin at a lower level and progress upward, with raises constructed within the fill to serve as manways or ore passes. Alternatively, in underhand mining, work proceeds from the top downward, requiring the addition of cement to the fill to create a stable roof for workers. This method is particularly effective for steeply dipping ore bodies where artificial support is necessary to prevent the surrounding rock from caving.23