Mining

The evidence depends heavily on the mining method. Underground operations may require consideration of entries, pillars, roof and ground control, ventilation, haulage routes, and extraction sequence, while surface operations may involve benches, highwalls, overburden removal, pit geometry, haul roads, and reclamation conditions. The mining method should therefore be identified before drawing conclusions about what records or operating practices are relevant. USGS distinguishes underground, surface, and placer mining as primary extraction approaches.

Mine plans, geological records, borehole information, mapping, inspection reports, support records, photographs, and evidence of faults, fractures, weak strata, or changing ground conditions may all be relevant. A mining expert can assess how those conditions affected mine operations and the decisions documented at the site. When the dispute requires engineering calculations concerning rock or soil stability, a geotechnical expert may also be necessary.

Useful materials may include mine maps and plans, production and shift reports, geological mapping, survey data, inspection records, equipment logs, ground- or roof-control plans, ventilation records, blasting records, incident photographs, maintenance records, and regulatory documentation. Preserving dated versions of mine plans can be particularly useful when the physical configuration of the workings changed as extraction progressed.