• Shaft Sinking: Excavating Vertical Tunnels for Underground Mineral Access
  • What is Shaft Sinking?
  • Key Components of a Shaft:
  • The Shaft Sinking Process (Simplified):
  • Relevance to the SYOGM Program:

Shaft Sinking: Excavating Vertical Tunnels for Underground Mineral Access

is the process of from the surface to access deep , involving , , , , and in a repeated cycle until the target depth is reached; the finished shaft includes , a, (cage/skip), and essential services like , power, and , making it a complex and costly engineering project typically undertaken by rather than , especially in , though initial often focus on less expensive surface or alluvial methods instead.

What is Shaft Sinking?

**** is the process of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the surface down to a predetermined depth to access underground mineral deposits, such as , or for other purposes like , , or .

In simple terms, it is the act of digging a mine shaft.

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Key Components of a Shaft:

A finished shaft is not just a hole in the ground. It is a complex engineering structure that includes:

1. : These are lined with concrete, steel, or timber (called shaft lining) to prevent collapse and keep water out.
2. : The tall structure built over the shaft at the surface. It supports the hoist (the large winch) that raises and lowers the cage or skip.
3. Cage / Skip: The elevator that transports people, equipment, and ore up and down the shaft.
4. Services: The shaft also contains essential services like:
   • **** (to provide fresh air underground)
   • Pipes (for water and compressed air)
   • Electric cables (for power)
   • Ladders or an emergency escape system.

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The Shaft Sinking Process (Simplified):

Sinking a shaft is a dangerous and highly technical operation. The general process involves:

1. Drilling: Holes are drilled into the rock at the bottom of the shaft.
2. Blasting: Explosives are placed in the holes and detonated to break the rock.
3. Mucking: The broken rock (called “muck”) is loaded out and hoisted to the surface.
4. Lining: The newly excavated section of the shaft is secured with a permanent lining (e.g., concrete).
5. Support Installation: Temporary ground support (like rock bolts or steel rings) is often installed immediately after blasting for safety before the permanent lining is poured.
6. De-watering: Pumps run continuously to remove groundwater that flows into the shaft.

This cycle of drill-blast-muck-line repeats until the shaft reaches its target depth.

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Relevance to the SYOGM Program:

For a operation, is typically associated with larger-scale, hard-rock (lode) mining to reach deep gold-bearing quartz veins.

However, often focuses on or (like or ), which does not require the immense capital investment, engineering, and regulatory approval of sinking a deep shaft.

In summary: Shaft sinking is the core method for creating a vertical access point to an . It is a major capital project undertaken by medium to large mining companies, not typically by small-scale startup operations due to its high cost and complexity.