Shaft sinking

Abandoned mine shafts in Marl, Germany.

Shaft mining is a type of underground mining done by use of a mine shaft.

A mine shaft is a vertical or inclined passageway used to access to an underground mining facility. On the surface above the shaft stands a building known as the pit head (or poppet head or head frame) , which historically contained a winding engine and in modern times contains an electric hoist controller. This raises and lowers the cage within the shaft. The cage serves as an elevator for the transportation of minerals, equipment and workers.

The horizontal workings extending from the central shaft are called drifts, galleries or levels. This is contrasted to drift mining.