Editing Longwall mining (section)

==Comparison with room and pillar method==
Longwall and room and pillar methods of mining can both be used for mining suitable underground coal seams. Longwall has better [[resource recovery]] (about 80% compared with about 60% for [[room and pillar]] method),<ref name="ilcoalassn">{{cite web |title=Underground Mining |publisher=Illinois Coal Association |url=http://www.ilcoalassn.com/underground.html |accessdate=2014-05-24 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610062423/http://www.ilcoalassn.com/underground.html|archive-date=2012-06-10}}</ref> fewer roof support consumables are needed, higher volume coal clearance systems, minimal manual handling and safety of the miners is enhanced by the fact that they are always under the hydraulic roof supports when they are extracting coal.<ref name="ilcoalassn" />