Slope Mining
Slope mines are another kind of underground mine. With slope mines, the coal or minerals are far enough under ground that surface mining can’t reach it.
With slope mining, the coal or mineral bed is located very deep and parallel to the ground. It is called a slope mine because the shafts are slanted. This kind of mining is done when there would be problems drilling shafts straight down. Slope mines are not usually too deep.
The diagram shows the shaft slanting down to the coal or mineral bed. Conveyors bring the coal out of the mine using the slope tunnel. Sometimes there are two shafts like the one that is pictured in our diagram. When there are two shafts, special ‘car’ devices take the men in and out of the mine through one shaft. The coal or mineral is taken out of another slanted shaft.