Mining in Manitoba 

Strip Mining 

Surface Mining Methods

 

 

 

When orebodies are flat-lying and close to surface, it is sometimes economical to remove the overlying rock to expose the orebody. The surface soil is stripped off and stockpiled for later land reclaimation.

1 Electric drills prepare the overlying strata for blasting.
2 Removal of broken ore.
3 Removal of broken rock.
4 Extraction of upper ore seam.
5 Removal of upper ore.

A stripping dragline with a long-boom or long reach shovels are common. Large-scale contimuous bucket excavators are gaining popularity. These large scale machines are designed for high capacity output and are tremendous in size, highly productive, and very expensive.