Rock mass characterisation and stope design

加拿大大部分的地下采矿都采用一种被称为露天采矿的方法来提取矿石。采场是一个大型的地下挖掘，在那里矿石被炸开并移走，这些开口通常有十层公寓楼那么大。这些开口的上、下盘沿矿石与废料的接触方向移动。在采矿过程中，废石从这些岩壁上脱落或脱落，与矿石混合，稀释了品位。废石的这种剥落被称为采场稀释，它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面，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.