V = L × l × hV: excavated volume in m³; L, l and h: dimensions in m.
Simplified rectangular block; use suitable geometry for a pit or shaft.
Mining · CourseBuilding a mine: studies, access and services
Organize a mining project from investigation to rehabilitation, compare access options and identify the services required before production.
← Back to the simulationScientific principles
Start with geology, drilling, surveying, hydrogeology and geotechnical studies. Grade alone is insufficient: deposit continuity, rock properties, water, environment and local land uses influence the project. Blocks and costs in this practical are fictional; they support comparisons and do not certify an economically mineable reserve.
Compare a benched open pit, an underground decline and a shaft. Access must serve working faces, transport and emergency arrangements. Include roads, workshops, stockpiles, utilities and water-management areas. A geometrically possible route does not establish ground stability or the feasibility of a real access system.
Plan work and dependencies: site preparation, access, excavation, specialist-designed ground support, drainage and dewatering, power, ventilation and communication. Inspections, commissioning tests and emergency arrangements precede production. The construction checklist checks educational prerequisites; it does not replace technical acceptance.
Include topsoil, water, waste rock, closure of openings and progressive rehabilitation from the study stage. Track construction, production and restoration separately so that a production score cannot conceal a missing service. Proposed dimensions are not a slope, pillar, rock-bolt or hydraulic-structure design.
Equations, units and conditions
M = V × ρM: mass in t; V: in-situ volume in m³; ρ: in-situ bulk density in t/m³.
Do not combine loose volume with in-situ bulk density.
L_rampe = H / sin(θ)H: vertical elevation change in m; θ: decline angle; L_rampe: length in m.
Ideal straight decline; angle and percent grade differ: grade = 100 × tan(θ).
C_total = Σ C_iC_i: fictional cost of each work package; C_total: sum in the same currency.
Comparative budget without market estimates, interest, taxes or geological contingencies.
Applications
Open-pit project
Compare stripping, bench access, drainage and stockpile layout.
Underground project
Compare decline and shaft access, then check support, ventilation, power, dewatering and emergency arrangements.
Closure and rehabilitation
Allocate resources to restore disturbed areas and monitor water.
What to observe in the simulation
Change access type, dimensions and services. Observe volume, tonnage, fictional budget and missing prerequisites. Explain why production must wait until critical services are available.