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Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, [1] is a surface mining technique that extracts rock or minerals from the earth. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface where the overburden is relatively thin.
A box cut (box pit) is a small open cut built to supply a secure and safe entrance as access to a slope to an underground mine. Generally the box cut is sunk until sufficiently unweathered rock is found to permit the development of the decline. [ 1 ]
Power shovels are used principally for excavation and removal of overburden in open-cut mining operations; they may also be used for the loading of minerals, such as coal. They are the classic equivalent of excavators, and operate in a similar fashion. Other uses of the power shovel include: Close range work. Digging very hard materials.
As such they tend to be tabular, flat and really large, covering many square kilometres of the Earth's surface. However, at any one time the area of a deposit being worked for the nickel ore is much smaller, usually only a few hectares. The typical nickel laterite mine often operates as either an open cut mine or a strip mine. [citation needed]
Fort Knox mine – gold mine in the Fairbanks mining district of Alaska; Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine – largest open pit iron mine in the world, near Hibbing, Minnesota [7] Lavender Pit – copper mine in Cochise County, Arizona; Morenci Mine – copper mine in Greenlee County, Arizona; Mountain Iron Mine – iron mine in ...
Larger scale open cut mining began in 1936, leading to the complete closure of all underground operations. [ 5 ] Coal seam fires that originate from spontaneous combustion in the old underground mine workings are a notable feature of this coal mine, typically flaring up when open cut mining intersects or nears those old underground workings.
The mine works as an open cut operation and Mount Fubilan has been reduced to a deep pit in the ground in the course of the excavation of the Ok Tedi Mine. By 31 December 2004, 8,896,577 tonnes of copper concentrate (containing 2,853,265 tonnes of copper metal and 7,035,477 troy ounces or 218.8278 tonnes of gold metal) had been mined.
The current mining operation at Whim Creek consists of an open cut mining operation, utilising drill-and-blast, trucking ore from Whim Creek and Mons Cupri to a central heap leach hydrometallurgy operation midway between the two. The operation runs via contract mining, with a fleet of five haul trucks and two production drill rigs.