Editing Adit (section)

==Construction==
[[File:Sztolnia Królowa Luiza EC (11).jpg|thumb|''Queen Louise'' adit, Zabrze, Poland]]
Adits are driven into the side of a hill or mountain, and are often used when an [[ore]] body <!-- or a [[coal mining|seam of coal]] (coal is an ore) --> is located inside the mountain but above the adjacent valley floor or coastal plain. In cases where the mineral vein outcrops at the surface, the adit may follow the [[lode]] or vein until it is worked out, in which case the adit is rarely straight. The use of adits for the extraction of ore is generally called [[drift mining]].

Adits can only be driven into a mine where the local topography permits. There will be no opportunity to drive an adit to a mine situated on a large flat plain, for instance. Also if the ground is weak, the cost of shoring up a long adit may outweigh its possible advantages.