rill mining
Quick Summary
Rill mining is a hybrid underground mining method that combines elements of cut-and-fill mining and sublevel stoping. It is employed when ground conditions are suitable for this approach. In rill mining, drifts are excavated within the ore body, with intervening slices of ore left between them. These slices are typically two to three times the height of a standard slice. Vertical sections of ore are then removed using longhole drilling and blasting techniques. Crucially, as these vertical slices are extracted, the resulting voids are immediately filled. This method aims to minimize the amount of open ground exposed at any given time.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
