Meaning & use
shaft mining
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A method of extracting coal or minerals by digging a vertical tunnel down to deposits that lie deep underground.
Grammar: Used without an article: shaft mining is dangerous.
Patterns
- shaft mining for something
- shaft mining in a place
Shaft mining is used where ore lies far below the surface.
The town grew around a century of shaft mining for coal.
Shaft mining requires ventilation and strong supports.
Common combinations
- deep shaft mining
- Deep shaft mining carries serious risks.
- shaft mining operation
- The company ran a large shaft mining operation.
- shaft mining of coal
- Shaft mining of coal declined in the region.
- switch from shaft mining
- The firm switched from shaft mining to open-pit methods.
Synonyms and how they differ
- underground mining
- A broader term that includes shafts, tunnels and slopes, while shaft mining stresses vertical access.
- deep mining
- Emphasizes depth, rather than the way the mine is reached.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: shaft mining or strip mining?
shaft mining vs strip mining
Strip mining removes layers of earth at the surface, while shaft mining works underground.
Practice
Which method suits a coal seam that lies hundreds of meters below ground?
Choose one answer.
Shaft mining reaches deep deposits through a vertical tunnel. Strip mining and quarrying work at or near the surface.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shaft mining”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.