🚧 The drill and blast method in surface mining is a sequential process used to break rock into manageable fragments. It begins with drilling a pattern of holes into the rock face, followed by loading the holes with explosive charges and stemming them with inert material to confine the blast energy. The holes are then detonated in a controlled sequence to fragment the rock for removal. After blasting, the broken material is excavated using loaders and haul trucks and transported for processing o