Drift mining

Drift mining is either the mining of an ore deposit by underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed.[1] A drift mine is an underground mine in which the entry or access is above water level and generally on the slope of a hill, driven horizontally into the ore seam.[2]

Drift is a more general mining term, meaning a near-horizontal passageway in a mine, following the bed (of coal, for instance) or vein of ore. A drift may or may not intersect the ground surface.[3] A drift follows the vein, as distinguished from a crosscut that intersects it, or a level or gallery, which may do either.[4] All horizontal or subhorizontal development openings made in a mine have the generic name of drift. These are simply tunnels made in the rock, with a size and shape depending on their use—for example, haulage, ventilation, or exploration.[5]

  1. ^ Paul W. Thrush, A Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms, US Bureau of Mines, 1968, p.350.
  2. ^ "Glossary of Mining Terms." Kentucky Foundation, Coal and Energy Education Project. 1996. Accessed December 28, 2015. http://www.coaleducation.org/glossary.htm Archived October 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ Paul W. Thrush, A Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms, US Bureau of Mines, 1968, p.350.
  4. ^ "Glossary of Mining Terms." Kentucky Foundation, Coal and Energy Education Project. 1996. Accessed December 28, 2015. http://www.coaleducation.org/glossary.htm Archived October 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "Drift | Mining." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Accessed December 28, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/technology/drift-mining.