What are the main methods of mining? (2024)

FAQs

What is the most common method of mining? ›

Open-pit mining

Open-pit is one of the most common mining methods used and starts from the earth's surface, maintaining exposure to the surface throughout the extraction period.

The mining industry operates through a sequence of stages: exploration, discovery, development, production and reclamation. All stages of this Mining Cycle provide direct economic stimulus.

The two major categories of modern mining include surface mining and underground mining.

There are three main classes of process mining techniques: process discovery, conformance checking, and process enhancement. In the past, terms like workflow mining and automated business process discovery (ABPD) were used.

Next, large machines, such as dragline excavators or bucket-wheel excavators, extract the mineral. Advantages of surface mining include lower cost and greater safety compared to underground mining.

The three most common types of surface mining are open-pit mining, strip mining, and quarrying. See also mining and coal mining.

These mining categories are: strip mining, open-pit mining, mountaintop removal, dredging and high wall mining. All methods of surface mining will remove the waste material, or overburden, above the desired resource.

Underground Mining

The risk of cave-ins is also very real, as miners are often digging into unstable ground that can collapse without warning. In addition, underground miners are exposed to toxic gases such as methane and carbon monoxide which can cause serious health issues if not properly ventilated.

Open-pit mining, one of the most common forms, is one of the most damaging. Miners hollow out a section of land, digging down to create a workable area and extract valuable raw materials. This method leaves behind large pits in the earth and can contaminate the groundwater with chemicals used in the mining process.

History of Mining Technology

In the beginning, miners used primitive tools for digging. Mining shafts were dug out by hand or using stone tools, making the entire process very lengthy. Eventually, the pick and hammer were replaced with fire to clear tunnels and reach greater depths at a faster rate.

How is most gold mined? ›

Hard rock mining extracts gold encased in rock, rather than fragments in loose sediment, and produces most of the world's gold. Sometimes open-pit mining is used, such as at the Fort Knox Mine in central Alaska.

Let's say that yields a quarter of a gram, which amounts to about 0.75 grams of gold per hour, and that gives just about 42 hours to get an ounce of gold by panning in a typical but decent spot.

Miners use heavy mining machinery to drill wide steps known as benches, which separate the rock containing gold (ore) from the rock with no economic quantities of gold (waste). Next, blasting occurs to break down the rock making it easier to move.

The three most common types of surface mining are open-pit mining, strip mining, and quarrying. See also mining and coal mining.

Mining can cause erosion, sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by chemicals emitted from mining processes. These processes also affect the atmosphere through carbon emissions which contributes to climate change.