In post-and-stall or room-and-pillar operations, this is the open void left behind after the ore or coal has been extracted. It serves as a working area, ventilation path, or haulage route. Miners must carefully control the width of this span to prevent roof collapse before the pillars are eventually removed.
The roof in the third wicket is starting to flake, so get the bolters in there before we cut any deeper.
In older coal mining districts, this term is used interchangeably with room or bord, depending on regional traditions.
Related terms
Room and pillar
An underground mining method where material is extracted across a horizontal plane, leaving blocks of ore to support the roof.
Stall
An excavated room or working place cut into a coal seam or ore body.
Bord
An underground working place or tunnel driven at right angles to the natural cleavage of the coal seam.