Gypsum mining in the mine
Horst-Peter-Stollen

The method used in the Horst-Peter-Stollen mine is room and pillar mining.

In very simple terms, this system consists of creating ‘tunnel-like’ passages in a grid pattern, leaving rectangular pillars of rock untouched. The pillars serve to hold the overhead rock, or overburden, in place. Depending on the features of the deposit, it is sometimes possible to return later and extract parts of the deposit that were left untouched when the passages were created.

Generally, the rock is fragmented through drilling and blasting. To do this, a face jumbo drill is used to bore a blasthole which is then loaded by blowing powder explosive into it. The blast is always detonated at the end of the working day. It is important to precisely gauge the quantity of explosive and the detonation point to prevent any damage or strong shock waves.

The fragmented gypsum-anhydrite rock is gathered by wheeled loaders and loaded into mining trucks. The mining trucks transport the material to the processing plant, where it is ‘crushed’ or, in other words, broken down into smaller pieces. It is then taken from the processing plant and stored in silos until it is loaded for shipping.

The ceiling of the mine, which is called a ‘roof’ in the industry, is regularly tested for stability to check whether there is any danger of it caving in. Only a few roof areas require extra support, such as those in the tunnel sections leading into the mine. Other tasks are also performed to ensure the quality of our products, the health and safety of our workers, and the protection of the environment, among other things.