In the existing classifications there is a large number of categories of mineral reserves by preparedness (opened, prepared, ready for excavation, in stripping, in pillars, flooded, etc.) and absolutely no division into categories by preparedness for excavation of waste rocks. To eliminate uncertainty in the interpretation of the role of reserves in the operation of the quarry and to justify the number and nomenclature of categories of reserves, let us consider the quarry as a system with all its interacting links...