The methods and economic parameters of mineral mining are interrelated with the applied technological, structural and organizational solutions. The parameters of individual ore bodies, their occurrence conditions and the totality of natural ore-forming processes govern these engineering solutions.Considering the relationship between such concepts as the integrity, structures and components of a subsoil use system, the basic principles defining a set of production processes for extracting minerals (or commercial component) from the subsoil are formulated. Due to the improvement of tools and technology, the scopes of the synonymic "mineral mining" and "mineral production" concepts expanded. The technological evolution was accompanied by fundamental clarifications and new understanding of the key concepts in scientific cognition and production management. The scientific relevance of the set of systemic principles rested on their application as a practical guide in mining.The key definitions included the validated series of the components and their contents. The proposed formulations have a significant weight both in science and technology as they provide more economically efficient and safe level of organization of underground mining with the system-founded and fool-proof selection of mining methods.