Women of elegance love elegant jewelry made of gold or diamond. That beautiful shiny diamond ring on your finger and those earrings that you treasure because they are made of gold have certainly undergone vigorous processes to become what they are. From an ore underneath the earth’s surface discovered by a lucky mineral explorer to a hardworking miner through the hands of a synthetic manufacturer then into the market where if you are lucky, someone bought it for you. Valuable minerals are not the only reason why people carry out mining exploration. They do so to satisfy their scientific inquisitiveness, to learn more about the earth’s surface and it’s interior. They also do so for economic purposes and to meet the ever growing demand for clean energizing water, fuel [gas and oil] and mineral which are either metallic or non-metallic.
Mining is the process of extracting valuable minerals from the earth. Broadly, it’s classified into two; surface mining and underground mining. Exploration is an intensive research on a subject or the act of travelling in or moving into a new area with the aim of learning about it.
Therefore, mining exploration is a procedural act of collecting, evaluating and analyzing information about the mineral potential of a given area which leads to securing the mineral rights of the given area. Mineral exploration requires planning, recording of Mineral Claims, reconnaissance, intensive exploration, sampling and assaying and a feasibility study.
Exploration is a major component of mining. Mining in general involves prospecting, exploration and discovery and processing. Historically, the early man used stone [rocks] for shelter, drawing surface and create fire. Swaziland hosts the oldest mine in the world known as lion cave from which hematite was mined. Before the industrial revolution, some civilizations used large amounts of water and fire to crack rocks in a mine. Others like Banská Štiavnica in 1627 used black powder to burst those rocks and also to loosen the earth making it easier for the miners to see the ore veins.
Exploration falls into place after finding a potential concentration of minerals which is known as an ore or a mineral deposit. One can find or discover information about ores from various sources such as; mineral maps, academic geological research, local, or national geological, expert assays, mining blogs, word of mouth from the locals and from the social media platforms. Today, luckily, major mining exploration has been boosted by the ever growing technology. From early 1950s, many mining explorations and mineral discoveries of that period were imputed to governmental and industrial technologies such as the geochemical and the geophysical technologies. In the awake of the 1990s, more improved technologies which are the Global Positioning System [GPS] and the tomography imaging were used together with the former technologies to improve efficiency in the field of mining exploration.
Did you know that the deepest borehole that has been drilled so far extends only runs for about 10 kilometers (6 miles] deep? There are various methods used in mining exploration depending on the level of the earth’s surface. The mining levels are inclusive of the following; the subsurface, surface, placer and undersea mining. The methods used are; geochemical, geophysical, geological mapping, drilling and remote sensing and air-photo interpretation.
Geochemical methods are carried out by measuring the chemistry of the rock, soil, stream sediments or plants to determine abnormal chemical patterns referred to as primary chemical halos, which usually point to the areas of mineralization. It’s favorable both on surface and subsurface.
Geological methods heavily depend on the identification of rocks and minerals and on the understanding of the environment in which they are formed. This method relies on geological surveys, geological maps and geophysical information in order to have better prospect in ores available. The geological method can be divided into; magnetic, electrical and electromagnetic, gravity and radiometric. It’s suitable both on surface and subsurface.
Air-rotary drilling, air-percussion drilling, diamond core drilling and mud-rotary drilling are methods used in drilling. All are applied depending on the type of drilling required and also on the type of the rock being drilled. Drilling as a method of mining exploration is used to give d information about rock types and their fabric, content of a mineral, and also give the relationship between the rock layers close to the surface with those layers deeper from the surface.
Mining engineers are an important resource in mining exploration. When the need arises, they serve as engineers for operations, site supervisors and managers and design engineers. During the feasibility study, they serve as the equipment and mineral salesperson. In matters relating to environment, health and safety they are the officers to.
In the field of mining minerals are not the only issue of concern; the environment, health and safety of the people too are vital. The following environmental and health issues should be addressed at all times. The quality of groundwater and surface water, trace elements in existing soils and in ores in particular those elements of concern, such as mercury and arsenic, the presence of asbestiform minerals associated with industrial-minerals operations should be checked and also climatic impacts on mining operations which include precipitation and prevailing winds should be an area of interest in mining exploration. In addition the socioeconomic, political and cultural issues, including sustainable development in the region of interest should be considered.
Women of elegance love elegant jewelry made of gold or diamond. That beautiful shiny diamond ring on your finger and those earrings that you treasure because they are made of gold have certainly undergone vigorous processes to become what they are. From an ore underneath the earth’s surface discovered by a lucky mineral explorer to a hardworking miner through the hands of a synthetic manufacturer then into the market where if you are lucky, someone bought it for you. Valuable minerals are not the only reason why people carry out mining exploration. They do so to satisfy their scientific inquisitiveness, to learn more about the earth’s surface and it’s interior. They also do so for economic purposes and to meet the ever growing demand for clean energizing water, fuel [gas and oil] and mineral which are either metallic or non-metallic.
Mining is the process of extracting valuable minerals from the earth. Broadly, it’s classified into two; surface mining and underground mining. Exploration is an intensive research on a subject or the act of travelling in or moving into a new area with the aim of learning about it.
Therefore, mining exploration is a procedural act of collecting, evaluating and analyzing information about the mineral potential of a given area which leads to securing the mineral rights of the given area. Mineral exploration requires planning, recording of Mineral Claims, reconnaissance, intensive exploration, sampling and assaying and a feasibility study.
Exploration is a major component of mining. Mining in general involves prospecting, exploration and discovery and processing. Historically, the early man used stone [rocks] for shelter, drawing surface and create fire. Swaziland hosts the oldest mine in the world known as lion cave from which hematite was mined. Before the industrial revolution, some civilizations used large amounts of water and fire to crack rocks in a mine. Others like Banská Štiavnica in 1627 used black powder to burst those rocks and also to loosen the earth making it easier for the miners to see the ore veins.
Exploration falls into place after finding a potential concentration of minerals which is known as an ore or a mineral deposit. One can find or discover information about ores from various sources such as; mineral maps, academic geological research, local, or national geological, expert assays, mining blogs, word of mouth from the locals and from the social media platforms. Today, luckily, major mining exploration has been boosted by the ever growing technology. From early 1950s, many mining explorations and mineral discoveries of that period were imputed to governmental and industrial technologies such as the geochemical and the geophysical technologies. In the awake of the 1990s, more improved technologies which are the Global Positioning System [GPS] and the tomography imaging were used together with the former technologies to improve efficiency in the field of mining exploration.
Did you know that the deepest borehole that has been drilled so far extends only runs for about 10 kilometers (6 miles] deep? There are various methods used in mining exploration depending on the level of the earth’s surface. The mining levels are inclusive of the following; the subsurface, surface, placer and undersea mining. The methods used are; geochemical, geophysical, geological mapping, drilling and remote sensing and air-photo interpretation.
Geochemical methods are carried out by measuring the chemistry of the rock, soil, stream sediments or plants to determine abnormal chemical patterns referred to as primary chemical halos, which usually point to the areas of mineralization. It’s favorable both on surface and subsurface.
Geological methods heavily depend on the identification of rocks and minerals and on the understanding of the environment in which they are formed. This method relies on geological surveys, geological maps and geophysical information in order to have better prospect in ores available. The geological method can be divided into; magnetic, electrical and electromagnetic, gravity and radiometric. It’s suitable both on surface and subsurface.
Air-rotary drilling, air-percussion drilling, diamond core drilling and mud-rotary drilling are methods used in drilling. All are applied depending on the type of drilling required and also on the type of the rock being drilled. Drilling as a method of mining exploration is used to give d information about rock types and their fabric, content of a mineral, and also give the relationship between the rock layers close to the surface with those layers deeper from the surface.
Mining engineers are an important resource in mining exploration. When the need arises, they serve as engineers for operations, site supervisors and managers and design engineers. During the feasibility study, they serve as the equipment and mineral salesperson. In matters relating to environment, health and safety they are the officers to.
In the field of mining minerals are not the only issue of concern; the environment, health and safety of the people too are vital. The following environmental and health issues should be addressed at all times. The quality of groundwater and surface water, trace elements in existing soils and in ores in particular those elements of concern, such as mercury and arsenic, the presence of asbestiform minerals associated with industrial-minerals operations should be checked and also climatic impacts on mining operations which include precipitation and prevailing winds should be an area of interest in mining exploration. In addition the socioeconomic, political and cultural issues, including sustainable development in the region of interest should be considered.
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