EARTH SCIENCE – MINING
Mineral Resources
• Used for different applications
• Example for cellphones (Silicon,
arsenopyrite, etc.)
Can be in:
Quarries – Sand, Gravel, Rocks
Mining – Silver, Iron, Gold
Metallic Mineral Resources – Contains metal
Non-Metallic Resources – Doesn’t contain metal
(talc, fluorite, sulfur, sand, gravel
Terms:
Mineral Resources–
• Could be rocks or mineral
Mineral Occurrence (Locality)
• Concentration of a mineral that is of
scientific or technical interest
Mineral Deposit
• Mineral occurrence of sufficient size / grade
and concentration to enable extraction
Ore Deposit
• Tested and known to be economically
profitable to mine
Types Of Mining
Mining
• Process of extracting mineral resources from
earth.
Stages of Mining:
1. Exploration - Searching of areas that
contain mineral resources viable for mining
a. Prospecting
i. Evaluation of land’s geology.
ii. Identifies Geohazards
iii. Analyzing Chemical
properties of soil and water
iv. Airborne and ground physical
survery
v. Identify Electric Currents
b. Drilling
i. Evaluate type and grade of
minerals
c. Modelling
2. Development and Design
a. Determine whether the site can be
operated in an environmentally safe,
economically sound and socially
responsible manner
b. Involves scoping, feasibility studies,
procurement of necessary facilities
3. Construction
a. Builds roads, processing facilities,
environmental management system
4. Production
a. Stage where actual mining and
processing of minerals are done
b. Gangue – Unwanted impurities like
sand and rocky minerals
5. Closure and Reclamation
a. Process of closing the mine and
returning the land to its original state
b. Ensuring public health
c. Establish new landform and
vegetation
d. Stabilize land against erosion
1. Surface Mining – Extract ore near the
earth’s surface
a. Open Pit Mining – means big hole
or pit in the group created by
blasting with explosives or drilling.
b. Dredging – Mining from the bottom
of a body of water
c. Strip Mining – Involves removal of
a thin strip of overburden above
desired deposit
 EARTH SCIENCE – MINING

d. Placer Mining – Mining of stream

bed deposits of mineral. uses water
to separate valuable ore from the
surrounding sediment

2. Underground Mining – Utilized to extract

ore minerals from the orebody deep under
the earth’s surface