. Describe the types of mining.
Answers
Explanation:
There are four main methods of mining: underground, surface, placer and in-situ. The type of mining method used depends on the kind of resource that is being targeted for extraction, the deposit's location below or on the Earth's surface and the capacity of each method to profitably extract the resource.
Answer:
There are four main methods of mining: underground, surface, placer and in-situ. The type of mining method used depends on the kind of resource that is being targeted for extraction, the deposit's location below or on the Earth's surface and the capacity of each method to profitably extract the resource. Each mining method also has varying degrees of safety and impacts on the surrounding environment, both of which are concerns for legitimate mining operations.
Each of the four mining methods are explained below.
Underground Mining
Relatively costly and frequently used to get to deeper deposits, underground mining involves digging down into the earth and creating tunnels and shafts that reach the deposits of resources. Ore and other resources can then be brought up to the surface for processing, while waste rock can be removed for disposal
Surface Mining
Surface mining involves removal of plant life, soil and potentially bedrock to be able to access resource deposits. It is normally used for fairly shallow, non-precious deposits. The two foremost kinds of surface mining are open-pit mining and strip mining.
Placer Mining
Normally formed by weathering via water and/or wind action, placers are unconsolidated deposits of resources. Placer mining is generally done in riverbeds, sands or other sedimentary environments and involves sifting valuable materials from sediments. Famously, "panning for gold" can be part of the placer mining process. In placer operations, the extracted sedimentary material is rinsed and sluiced to pull out the desired minerals.
In-Situ Mining
Also referred to as solution mining, in-situ mining does not involve removing intact ore from beneath the earth's surface. Instead, it involves pumping chemicals underground to dissolve resource-containing ore and then pumping what is known as the "pregnant solution" back up to the surface, where it can be processed to recover minerals. This technique is mainly used in uranium mining.