What is so good about shaft mining?

Underground mining (as compared to open pit exploitation) allows a mine operation to be largely 'hidden' having only adits or headframes protruding above the surface. This enables the land above the zone of mining to be reclaimed for other uses, after the mining has ceased, so much easier than in the case of an open pit.

Underground mining can mine as deep as the development permits excavation to take place. If there is a shaft with headgear, then mining can take place until that depth. If it is accessed by horizontal adits, it can mine until the lowest adit upwards. If it is accessed by decline, the development and mining can continue so long as economic exploitation is possible. Unlike an open pit, it is NOT dependant on stripping ratiOS which means that deep mining of narrow geological structures becomes practical ONLY by use of underground mining.

The opportunity to use old mined out stopes as a repository for waste rock blasted in order access further, new stopes. Such a process is known as 'backfilling' old workings and helps stabilise the ground, reduces the cost of haulage and helps avoid falls of ground / rockbursts.