A nine-hole pattern is used for the vertical longhole raise in the initial stope slot. A large primary slot is excavated across the strike of the stope, and the blasthole rings are then fired along strike into the excavated slot void. Longhole blasting is carried out with ANFO and emulsion explosives, which are supplied in bulk by the explosives manufacturer sing a custom-built bulk- explosives supply vehicle and taken directly to the stope. All production and development blasting is done via surface control between the end of shift and start of the oncoming shift when no personnel are in the underground workings. All blasts are monitored from various surface locations to evaluate the effect of blas vibrations