As has been said, mining refers to actual ore extraction. Broadly speaking, mining is the industrial process of removing a mineral-bearing substance from the place of its natural occurrence in the Earth's crust. The term "mining" includes the recovery of oil and gas from wells; metal, non-metallic minerals, coal, peat, and other hydrocarbons from the earth. In other words, the work done to extract mineral, or to prepare for its extraction is called mining.
The tendency in mining has been toward the increased use of mining machinery so that modern mines are characterized by tremendous capacities. This has contributed to improving working conditions and raising labour productivity.
Mining can be done either as a surface operation (quarries or open-pits) or it can be done by an underground method. The problem of depth also affects the mining method.
Working the deposit means the extraction of mineral. With this point in view a number of underground workings is driven in barren (waste) rock and in mineral. Mine workings vary in shape, location and function.
Depending on their function mine workings are exploratory (разведочные), if they are driven with a view to finding mineral, and as productive (эксплуатационные) if they are used for the immediate extraction of useful mineral.
The rock surfaces at the sides of workings are called the sides or the ribs. The surface above the workings is the roof in coal mining. The surface below is called the floor.
The factors such as function, direct access to the surface, driving in mineral or in barren rock can be used for classifying mine workings.