ABSTRACT
The procedures for excavation large chambers or caves for use of underground space in non-mining applications, such as hydraulic power plants, liquid fuel tanks, toxic and radioactive residues. The inclined orebodies are divided vertically into levels, from which the haulage drifts are established along the foot walls. The concept and development of crater blasting attributed to C. W. Livingston, opened a new school of thought for better understanding of the phenomenon of blastings and the characterization of the explosives. A. Bauer, J. R. Grant and L. C. Lang among others, widened the field of application of the theory, converting it into a basic tool for the study of surface as well as underground blastings. In blastings with inverted faces, the crater sizes are influenced by the effect of gravity and the structural characteristics of the rock, forming elongated, elliptic shaped cavities which correspond to the extreme rupture or stressed zones.
