Rock mass characterisation and stope design

加拿大的大多数地下采矿都采用一种称为露天采矿的矿石提取方法。 采场是一个大型地下挖掘场，矿石已被爆破并清除，这些开口通常有十层公寓楼那么大。 这些开口的上盘和下盘沿着矿石和废料之间的接触。 采矿过程中从这些墙壁上脱落或脱落的废石与矿石混合并稀释了品位。 这种废石的脱落被称为采场稀释，会给矿山带来巨大的额外费用，因为这种材料必须被拖到地表，与矿石一起破碎和研磨。

The majority of the underground mining in Canada uses a method of extracting the ore called open stoping. A stope is a large underground excavation where the ore has been blasted and removed and these opening can often be the size of a ten story apartment building. The hanging wall and footwall of these openings follow the contact between the ore and the waste. Waste rock failing or sloughing off these walls during mining mixes with the ore and dilutes the grade. This sloughing of waste rock is called stope dilution and can create significant additional expense for mines since this material has to be hauled to surface, crushed and milled with the ore.