adit, a horizontal or near-horizontal passage driven from the Earth’s surface into the side of a ridge or mountain for the purpose of working, ventilating, or removing water from a mine.
Where either a vertical shaft or an adit can be used to reach a mineral deposit, the generally lower cost of driving an adit, the saving in the cost of pumping water, and the ease of hoisting ore through the shaft dictate in favour of the adit. Consequently, adits as long as one to three kilometres (one or two miles) are often economically feasible.
The size and cross section of an adit depend upon its use, with a horseshoe shape especially common. The walls may be of the natural rough rock or may be lined with concrete, wood, or steel.