Mucking is the physical removal of broken rock, ore, or waste dirt after a blast has taken place in an underground heading or stope. Equipment operators use specialized loaders, such as load-haul-dump machines or slushers, to scoop up the fragmented material and transfer it to mine cars, trucks, or ore passes. Clearing the face efficiently is essential so the next cycle of drilling and blasting can begin.
Heard on the job
The night shift finished blasting, so we'll spend the first three hours mucking the drift before we can bring the drill jumbo back in.
Do not mix it up with
- Gobbing: Mucking removes broken rock from the working face to the surface, while gobbing involves packing waste rock into empty mined-out spaces to support the roof.