Patent ID: 6913321
Filing Date: 2005-07-05
Classification: E21C

Abstract:
1. A method for extracting mineral deposits in a mineral reserve, a portion being accessible from a sloping surface and the remaining portion being inaccessible, comprising: mining the sloping surface to create a bench and highwall for providing access to the mineral reserve around the accessible portion of the mineral reserve; forming a surface in the highwall generally perpendicular to a desired direction of mining the mineral reserve to create an insertion highwall between an endwall extending from the insertion highwall and the inaccessible portion of the mineral reserve; cutting a starter entry into the mineral reserve across the entire length of the insertion highwall from the endwall to the inaccessible portion of the mineral reserve; inserting roof supports into the starter entry and backfilling the starter entry with spoil to form a starter passage from the endwall to the inaccessible portion of the mineral reserve; mining the inaccessible portion of the mineral reserve to form a single-gate entry for providing access to the mineral reserve by creating another opposing endwall extending from the insertion highwall; mining the mineral reserve in the starter passage moving along the insertion highwall from one endwall to the other endwall in a direction of production to extract mineral deposits therefrom; successively mining the mineral reserve moving from one endwall to the other endwall in the direction of production to continue extracting mineral deposits therefrom thereby forming at least one successive passage advancing in the direction of mining; and providing roof support for successive passages resulting from the extraction of mineral deposits from the mineral reserve.