File:Spacing vs efficiency.jpg

Tunnel spacing vs mining efficiency. Results of a 2D mining model constructed in matlab. It shows that mining efficiency increases with the tunnel spacing until tunnels effectively become independant of each other. Efficiency is given by ores collected / blocks removed. The graph shows that, when approximately 6 or more blocks are left between tunnels, maximum efficiency is reached, when almost 2% of blocks removed are ores. At this spacing, tunnels effectively become independant of each other.