Review of Underground Mining Methods in World-Class Base Metal Deposits: Experiences from Poland and Chile

Abstract

There are several massive deposits around the world with different geological characteristics. Thus, different mining methods and strategies are applied based on the particularity of each method and mine experience. Particularly, in this work, we review and summarize the underground exploitation of some world-class base metal deposits based on Poland and Chilean experiences. Here, the main geological and mining parameters of Poland and Chilean mines applied in massive deposits are reported and analyzed. In Poland, mainly room and pillar methods (and variants) have been applied in massive deposits. Here, back-filling is required to maintain the mine’s stability due to the large deposit size and open areas. In Chile, the block caving method is commonly used in massive underground deposits where less development is required. Here, the cave is naturally filled with broken material and a large subsidence zone is generated. In this review, it has been observed that different underground methods and strategies can be effectively used in massive deposits. Some parameters that influenced the method selection are mainly related to rock mechanics, ore recovery and dilution, subsidence zone, extraction rate, and mining experience. Here, key mining variables and parameters such as productivity, support, and equipment, as well as various issues related to the world-class deposit are studied. Additionally, a comparison between both experiences is presented, highlighting the main geological and mining parameters. This study can be used as a reference to evaluate the different option of underground mining methods to be applied in future massive mine projects with similar geological characteristics.