What is Mining?
What is Mining? - The removal of such metals and minerals as Iron ore, Gold, Silver, Diamonds, Titanium, Copper, Cassiterite, Manganese, Tin Nickel and Bauxite from the ground is termed Mining.
The Benefits of Mining: Many countries depend on mining to boost her economy. The government too, has benefitted from mining because its revenue is boosted as individuals and corporations mine minerals to enhance their economic power.
Uses of Most Minerals & Metals: Metals and minerals are of great importance to humanity. They are used in various construction companies to produce equipments for use in companies and households. Titanium is used in production of pagers, laptops and cell phones. Manganese is important in steel industry. They are used in production of low-cost stainless steel and making de-colour glass as well as Lavender-coloured glass especially when in high concentration. Copper and tin on the other hand are used in making cookware, pipes, etc. In jewellery industry, Silver and Gold are very valuable.
SMALL SCALE MINING: In small scale mining, a set of nomadic men search for mining sites which will yield the best quantity of minerals. Places where mining is common include Central Africa, Guyana and Suriname. A class of thought believes that small scale mining is more environmentally and socially hazardous than large scale mining.
LARGE SCALE MINING: This scale of mining is carried out in large companies with almost countless employees. This scale of mining occurs in large site and continues till the exhaustion of the mineral. According to Kricher (1997), this exemplified in such places as Serra Pelada mine in Brazil which has about 50,000 workers who effectively produced 29,000 tons of gold between 1980 and 1986.