Subsurface mining operations is considered a more advanced mining technique. It is also slower to get the minerals, and costs more money, so it is advised that you have experience in other forms of mining before diving into it. With that said, subsurface mining currently consists of removing ore from deep within the earth using tunnel and blast mining.
Equipment Requirements
Supply of ANFO (Blasting Explosive)
Supply of Mining Bolts
Supply of Concrete
Bolting Machine
Shotcrete Machine
Underground Wheel Loader (3 Recommended)
Underground Dumptruck x 2
Underground Jumbo Drill
Note that underground mining requires some skill, and some math!
You must determine the optimum “Blast” amount for your tunnel. Too much blast, and you get excess waste and need to shore up the tunnel more, too little, and you are having to blast more often than you should.
Paydirt can only be conveyed out to the truck loading pile when all necessary bolting and shotcrete work is done from each blast. This is only possible after the waste has been moved out from each blast.
Underground mines use the same semis as above ground mines, but at half the rate, so if normally you’d get 3 trucks per hour above ground, you’d get 1.5 trucks below ground per hour.
Step 1
The first step is to purchase all necessary equipment. This list can be found in the above left side column. A mine is limited to
1 Bolting Machine per 10 acres.
1 Shotcrete Machine per 10 acres.
5m3 Underground Wheel Loader per 5 acres.
2 Underground Dump Trucks per 10 acres.
1 Jumbo Drill
It should also be noted that in the supply list are ANFO, Mining Bolts & Concrete. These are manufactured products. You need to have them in your local warehouse and then you will have the option to transport them out. Please note that ANFO requires Tanker & Hazmat, and Concrete + Mining bolts require a Flatbed certification. These are
hauled in via semis.
Notice: Currently if the material is in your local warehouse, you’ll able to transfer it immediately with a small fee while we finish the haul in mechanics for these materials.
Step 2
The next step is to determine the blast equation for the optimum blast amount for your particular tunnel and mineral. This is done via the following formula.
(Acres * 100) * Mineral Factor * (Depth / 200)
Acres = Size of Mine
Mineral Factor = Class 1-10 depending on mineral rarity. (See Below Table)
Depth = Depth of underground deposit.
Mineral Factors
Class 1 = TMV < $1,000/1k
Class 2 = TMV < $5,000/1k
Class 3 = TMV < $10,000/1k
Class 4 = TMV < $50,000/1k
Class 5 = TMV >= $50,000/1k
Examples
A) Mine is 20 acres, resource is Diamond, Depth is 225 meters.
(20 * 100) * 5 * (225 / 200) = 11,250 units optimum for blasting.
B.) Mine is 50 acres, resource is Coal, Depth is 300 meters.
(50 * 100) * 1 * (300 / 200) = 7,500 units optimum for blasting.
Tip: Blasting will release approximately 5% of the ore into pay dirt piles, and will be accompanied by waste. This means the average mine will need to be blasted 20 times to clear it. Do note, that by becoming a Resource Acquisition company you can gain knowledge to eventually clear a larger percentage per blast, optimizing your profits!
Step 3
Haul in ANFO and Jumbo Drill (As well as other supplies and equipment) and perform initial blast. Upon conducting the blast, you will notice that the Waste & Paydirt piles go up.
Once the blast is complete, you can begin to remove waste. Paydirt will not move at this point.
Step 4
After waste is removed, bolt and shotcrete requirements will go up. You can begin with your bolter and shotcrete machine as soon as you see these go up.
Once the waste pile is cleared, and the bolting and shotcrete requirements have been satisfied, you will be able to move the paydirt from the tunnel to the conveyer.
The conveyer runs automatically and it’s output is based on your mine size. In future iterations you will have to haul in an assemble a conveyer!
Step 5
Once the ore has been conveyed out to the waiting to ship pile, it can be loaded into trucks like any other ore.
Step 6
At this point you are ready to repeat the process of “Supply, Blast, Clear Debris, Reinforce, Extract Ore.” You will follow this process until the mine has been completely emptied out!
We hope that you will enjoy underground mining and the unique challenges it presents, and we look forward to seeing you pull those goodies from deep underground! Thanks for taking the time to read this and rest assured, we’ll be spicing up this article soon with nice photos and more information as it becomes available. Happy mining!