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Lecture 1-Overview of Mining

Introduction to Mining and Metallurgy (EMI 1205) is taught by Dr. J. Tshuma. Lecture 1 provides an overview of mining. Mining is defined as the extraction of valuable minerals from the earth. Agriculture was the first step of civilization, followed by various eras marked by the mining of important minerals, including the Stone Age (stones), Bronze Age (bronze), and Iron Age (iron). Minerals are important as measures of wealth and are used for construction, vehicles, medicine, and communication. Key terms in mining include mine, mining engineering, mineral, rock, ore, gangue, and waste. Minerals are further classified as metallic ores, non-metallic

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87 views3 pages

Lecture 1-Overview of Mining

Introduction to Mining and Metallurgy (EMI 1205) is taught by Dr. J. Tshuma. Lecture 1 provides an overview of mining. Mining is defined as the extraction of valuable minerals from the earth. Agriculture was the first step of civilization, followed by various eras marked by the mining of important minerals, including the Stone Age (stones), Bronze Age (bronze), and Iron Age (iron). Minerals are important as measures of wealth and are used for construction, vehicles, medicine, and communication. Key terms in mining include mine, mining engineering, mineral, rock, ore, gangue, and waste. Minerals are further classified as metallic ores, non-metallic

Uploaded by

HILLARY FRANCIS SHENJERE
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Mining and Metallurgy

COURSE CODE: EMI 1205


Lecturer: Dr J. Tshuma
Department: Metallurgical Engineering

Lecture 1: Overview of Mining

Definition

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth from
an orebody, lode, vein, seam, reef or placer deposits etc. which forms the mineralized package
of the mineral.

Background of Mining

Agriculture was the first step of civilisation whereby people planted plants or cultivated soil from the
earth’s surface and these plants during their growth absorbing the various minerals in their ground,
converting these minerals to food which is later consumed by human beings. The removal from the
grounds of the minerals by the plants is one way or the other extraction.

The next step of civilisation is mining after agriculture and this period of mining is distinctly marked
by important various cultural eras identified by various minerals or metals and their derivatives.

Age ERA Mineral (Metal or derivative) Use or Application


Stone Age Prehistoric (prior to stones Spearheads, hoes
4000 BCE) etc.
Bronze Age Ancient (4000 to Bronze (alloy of copper & any Ornaments, utensils,
5000 BCE)/ Precious other metal such as tin, Al, Zn light instruments etc.
stones/emeralds etc. in certain percentages.)
Iron Age Early Age (1500 to Iron Various uses such as
1780) construction,
utensils, weapons
etc.

Steel Age Medieval era (1780 Steel (alloy of carbon and iron in Equipments such as
to 1945)- modern various percentages) reactors, medical
utensils.
Nuclear Age (1945 to the present)- Radioactive material such as Power energy,
modern uranium etc. weapons, medical
field (cancer
treatment etc.)

Importance of Minerals

They are normally used as a measure of wealth e.g. Gold, diamond etc.

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They are used in the construction industry for building houses etc.

They are used for construction of vehicles, aeroplanes etc.

They are used for medical purposes, in the preparation of medicine.

They are used in the communication industry e.g. as copper cables.

Terms used in Mining

Mine: an excavation made in the earth to extract minerals

Mining engineering: the practice of applying engineering principles to the development, planning,
operation, closure, and reclamation of mines

Mineral: a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure
and a characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties

Rock: any naturally formed aggregate of one or more types of mineral particles

Economic differences in the nature of mineral deposits is evident in the following terms:

Ore: a mineral deposit that has sufficient utility and value to be mined at a profit.

Gangue: the valueless mineral particles within an ore deposit that must be discarded.

Waste: the material associated with an ore deposit that must be mined to get at the ore and must
then be discarded. Gangue is a particular type of waste.

A further subdivision of the types of minerals mined by humankind is also common. These terms
are often used in the industry to differentiate between the fuels, metals and non-metallic
minerals. The following are the most common terms used in this differentiation:

Metallic ores: those ores of the ferrous metals (iron, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten),the
base metals (copper, lead, zinc, and tin),the precious metals (gold, silver, the platinum group
metals),and the radioactive minerals (uranium, thorium, and radium).

Non-metallic minerals (also known as industrial minerals): the nonfuel mineral ores that are not
associated with the production of metals. These include phosphate, potash, halite, trona, sand,
gravel, limestone, sulphur, and many others.

Fossil fuels (also known as mineral fuels): the organic mineral substances that can be utilized as
fuels, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, coalbed methane, gilsonite, and tar sands.

If the excavation used for mining is entirely open or operated from the surface, it is termed a surface
mine.

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If the excavation consists of openings for human entry below the earth’s surface, it is called an
underground mine.

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