The expression cave mining refers to all mining operations in which the ore body caves naturally after undercutting and the caved material is recovered through draw points.
The term encompasses block caving, panel caving, inclined draw point caving, and front caving. Caving is the lowest-cost method of underground mining, provided that draw point size and handling facilities are tailored to suit the caved material and that the extraction horizon can be maintained for the life of the draw.
The daily production from cave mining operations throughout the world (in 2008) was approximately 503 kt/d. Today, several open-pit mines currently producing in excess of 50 kt/d are examining the feasibility of implementing low-cost, large-scale underground mining methods.
Several underground cave mines that produce high tonnages are planning to implement caving heights (or “dropdowns”) of 500 m and at depths of 1,500 m. This will result in a considerable change in their mining environments. These changes will necessitate more detailed mine planning, rather than the simple projection of current mining methods to greater depths. As more attention is directed to mining large, competent ore bodies with low-cost underground methods, it is necessary to define the role of cave mining. In the past, caving has been considered for rock masses that cave and fragment readily.
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