Most underground mines in the United States use the <I>room-and-pillar</I> system of mining. First, the miners dig tunnels called <I>main entries</I> into the coal bed from the entrance and exit passages. They then dig sets of <I>subentries</I> into the bed from the main entries and sets of <I>room entries</I> into the bed from the subentries. Pillars of coal are left standing in all the entries to support the mine roof. As the room entries are extended, they create large <I>panels</I> of coal. The miners eventually dig <I>rooms</I> into the panels to recover as much coal as possible from the bed. This floor plan of a room-and-pillar mine shows how the entries are developed.
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World Book diagram</P>
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