What are through veins and along veins?

When exploring mineral deposits, underground tunnels are dug in order to expose, trace and delineate ore bodies and study the geology of ore bodies. Underground exploration tunnels are divided into horizontal, inclined and vertical exploration tunnels according to their spatial positions.

Horizontal exploration tunnel refers to an underground tunnel dug along an approximately horizontal direction. According to their different functions and spatial positions, they are divided into flat caves, stone gates, along the veins and through the veins.

The vein is a horizontal tunnel that is dug along the direction of the ore body and is not directly connected to the ground. The veins are often arranged in the ore body or in the contact zone between the ore body and the surrounding rock. When the ore body is broken or contains radioactive or harmful minerals, vein tunnels are often dug outside the veins.

The vein penetration is a horizontal tunnel that is excavated from the vein or stone gate to the ore body and has no direct exit from the ground. It is required to dig vertically along the direction of the ore body to understand the changes in the thickness direction of the ore body and its top and floor surrounding rocks. Vein penetration is an important tunnel for obtaining geological data and samples. Therefore, there are strict requirements on the direction, specifications, intervals, depth of vein penetration, and the flatness of the sampling working surface.