Crater blasting is a method of blasting used in an underground mining method called Vertical Crater Retreat (VCR).  Explosive charges are placed in large diameter holes and fired.  The concentrated, "spherical" charge is positioned at a specified distance from the horizontal free surface underneath and the detonation creates crater-shaped openings in the rock. Several holes are detonated at the same time, and the process is repeated until a horizontal  slice is removed.

The ore is excavated in such horizontal slices, starting from the stope bottom and advancing upwards. The ore produced by crater blasting falls down in the open space underneath, where part of it will remain during the production. Finally, stopes are mucked clean and prepared for cement stabilized backfilling.