DEDICATION This term paper is dedicated to God Almighty the author and finisher of our faith.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I acknowledge my parents Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Achokwu for their financial support in the accomplishment of this work. I also wish to thank my siblings for their encouragement. My sincere gratitude goes to my lecturer Mrs. I. S. Chinemelu for her enlightenment in our course of study. I wish to record my profound gratitude to my very good friends for their unstinted support and invaluable encouragement.

ABSTRACT Mining is an interdisciplinary field concerned with extraction of valuable minerals for mans benefit. There are two different types of mining properly discussed in both chapter one and chapter two. Each of the mining types have its advantages and also the disadvantages. They both have equipment used in carrying out the work. Each one of the equipment has its own mode of operation. Each of the mining method has its own step and procedures. During mining we encounter environmental problems referred to as hazards that tend to affect man and cause harm thereby putting the mans life in danger. Some of the problems are contamination of the ground and surface water, exposure radiation, release of obnoxious gases (CO2) into the environment etc. All these tend to cause havoc to man and his environment. But there are preventive

measures available and mentioned in the chapter three. In adverse conditions this activity leads to excessive mortality.

INTRODUCTION Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from an ore body, vein or (coal) seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash. Any material that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or created artificially in a laboratory or factory is usually mined. Mining in a wider sense comprises extraction of any non-renewable resource (e.g. petroleum, natural gas, or even water).

Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials and finally reclamation of the land to prepare it for other uses once the mine is closed. The nature of mining processes creates a potential negative impact on the environment both during mining operations and for years after the mine is closed. Broadly speaking there are two types of mining methods: 1. Surface mining method 2. Underground mining method.

CHAPTER ONE MINING METHODS

Broadly speaking there are two types of mining methods each depend on whether on whether the minerals can be easily extracted from the surface with relevant machines/shaft/tunnels or will underground structures be needed in order to access the mineralized lodes. 1. Surface mining method 2. Underground mining method. SURFACE MINING METHOD Surface mining method is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (overburden) are removed. It is the opposite of underground mining in which the overlying rock is left in place and the mineral removed through shafts or tunnels. Surface mining began in the mid-sixteen century and is practiced throughout the world although the majority of surface mining occurs in North America. It gained popularity throughout the 20th century and is now the predominant form of mining in coal beds such as those in Appalchia and Americas Midwest. In most forms of surface minng, heavy equipment such as earthmovers, first remove the overburden. Next, huge machines such as dragline excavators or bucket wheel excavators extract the minerals. In surface mining limited underground work may be required occasionally and there is no need for serious subsurface operations. They are basically employed when deposits of commercially viable minerals or rock are found closer to the surface; that is where overstrain (surfaced material covering the valuable deposit is relatively very less or the material of interest is

structurally unsuitable for heavy handling or tunneling (as would usually be t eh case for sand, cinder and gravel). Where ever minerals occur deep below the earths crust or the overburden is too thick or the mineral occurs as strands in hard rock, underground mining methods are employed to extract the valuable mineral deposits. Surface mines are naturally extended until either the valuable deposit is exhausted or the cost of de-cresting larger volumes of overburden makes further mining an uneconomic option to shoulder. The overall economic goal in surface mining is to remove the least amount of material while gaining the greatest return on investment by processing the most marketable mineral product. The higher the grade of mineral deposit, the greater the value. To minimize capital investment while accessing the higher valued material within a mineral deposit, a mine plan is developed that precisely details the manner in which the ore body will be extracted and processed. As many ore deposits are not in uniform shape, the mine plan is preceded by extensive exploratory drilling to profile the geology and position of the ore body. The size of the mineral deposit dictates the size and layout of the mine. The layout of a surface mine is dictated by the mineralogy and geology of the area. Surface mining methods include area, contour, mountaintop removal and auger mining. Area mines are surface mines that remove shallow coal over a broad area where the land is fairly flat. Huge dragline shovels commonly remove rocks overlying the coal (overburden). Contour mines are surface mines that mine coal in steep, hilly or mountainous terrain. A wedge of overburden is removed along the coal outcrop on the side of a hill, forming a bench at the level of coal. After the coal is removed, the

overburden is placed back on the bench to return the hill to its natural slope. Mountaintop removal mines are special area mines used where several thick coal seams occur near the top of a mountain. Large quantities of overburden are removed from the top of the mountains and this material is used to fill in valleys next to the mine. Auger mines are operated on surface mine benches (before they are covered up); the coal in the side of the hill that cant be reached by contour mining are more common I the Eastern Kentucky coal field, and area, slope and shaft mining are more common in the Western Kentucky coal field. In Kentucky 131.8 million tons of coal was mined in 2000; 62percent (81 million tons) was from underground mines and 38 percent (50 million tons) was from surface mines. There were 264 active underground mines and 240 active surface mines in Kentucky in 2000.

TYPES OF SURFACE MINING METHOD Several mining methods/surface mining methods exist during mining operations. Each of the mining operations has its various mode and principles when employed. 1. STRIP MINING

This is a type of surface mining that involves excavating earth, rock, and other material to uncover a tabular, lens-shaped, or layered mineral reserve. The mineral extracted is usually coal or other rocks of sedimentary origin. The mineral

reserve is extracted after the overlying material called overburden is removed. The excavation of the overburden is completed in rectangular blocks in plain view called pits or strips. The pits are parallel and adjacent to each other with each strip of overburden and the mineral beneath extracted sequentially. The mining process using equipment and explosives move the overburden laterally to the adjacent empty pit where the mineral has been extracted. This lateral movement is called casting ore open-casting. The overburden is moved by explosives, draglines, bucket wheel excavators, stripping shovels, dozer and other equipment. The uncovered mineral is excavated and hauled out of the pit to down-stream processing operations. Filling the adjacent empty pits with the overburden is systemic to the process and therefore insures the genesis of minedland reclamation, an advantage of this method of surface mining. Planning strip mining utilizes a cross-section or range diagram of the earth to be removed. Strip mining is also called open-cut mining, open-cast mining and stripping. Strip mining is usually carried out on a large scale on areas of extensive reserves which requires gigantic machines like bulldozers, etc. In some certain amount of drilling and blasting is required to extract hard bedded deposits such as limestones. 2. OPEN PIT/OPEN CAST MINING

This refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow. The term is used to differentiate this form of mining from extractive methods that require tunneling in to the earth such as longwall mining. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful minerals or rock are found near the surface; that is, where the overburden

(surface material covering the valuable deposit) is relatively thin or the material of interest is structurally unsuitable for tunneling (as would be the case for sand, cinder, and gravel). For minerals that occur deep below the surface where the overburden is thick or the mineral occurs as veins in hard rock underground mining methods extract valued material. Open-pit mines that produce building materials and dimension stone are commonly referred to as quarries. Open-pit mines are typically enlarged until either the mineral source is exhausted or an increasing ratio of overburden to ore makes further mining uneconomic.