ABSTRACT
Today, mining is becoming more common in the Arctic and cold alpine regions. In lands of extremely cold climates, it is not unusual that the ground should be frozen to depths of several hundred metres. Mining orebodies in such circumstances presents many technical challenges to mine operators. Among these are; energy conservation; protection of the environment; transportation and logistics; supporting a workforce; and ensuring stability of the mine workings. In this paper, the authors review what has been reported in the literature in recent years concerning the stabilities of mine openings in frozen ground. This is summarized as general considerations.
