Answer: stoping

AnswerCrossword Clue
stopingthe process of steplike excavation
stopingprocess by which magmas move upward in the earth by breaking off and engulfing blocks of overlying rocks
stopingto mine or work by stopes
stopingany excavation made in a mine, esp. from a steeply inclined vein, to remove the ore that has been rendered accessible by the shafts and drifts