subject: Facts About Mining Equipment And Methods [print this page] Just to be clear, in spite of breakthroughs in mining machines, mining continues to be among the most complicated and hazardous economic activities. It's the products of this activity that enable modern society to operate the way it does these days. One can only visualize what life could be like without having the products of mining. Day to day activities would be hindered without the production of natural minerals and coal; let alone its effects on economic activity. Luxuries like jewelry are available because of the mining of precious metals.
Methods have developed greatly over the ages. In fact, major improvements take place every day. New sciences and technologies let the industry to grow and give more for the world. Most people are not aware, however, of the methods and procedures which go into the mining process.
There are two regularly-used excavation techniques applied today: surface and sub-surface or underground mining. The more typical of the two is surface mining seeing as it gets the majority of the world's minerals.
Surface mining, like its name might suggest, is the less complicated of the two. The technique requires the removal of material that can be located on the surface like vegetation or dirt. When necessary, miners dig in to the bedrock to arrive at the deposits they're aiming for. This method utilizes the usage of one of five further types of surface mining. For instance, strip, open-pit, mountaintop removal, dredging, and high wall mining.
Sub-surface mining, in contrast, is the exact opposite of surface mining. This method requires the digging of tunnels deep into the earth's surface to reach the deposit. The products of this kind of practice are then taken out through the tunnels and shafts created. Unlike surface mining, which is classified into five forms, sub-surface mining is classified by the type of access shaft utilized to remove whatever mineral needs extraction.
People are inclined to confuse the petroleum industry as being part of the mining industry, but this isn't the case. It's easy to confuse the two, given that the retrieval of petroleum involves the gathering of a product that is underneath the surface. Petroleum, having said that, is not excavated like other minerals. It is because petroleum is in a liquid state; for it to be retrieved, it has to be pumped out.
Breakthroughs in mining equipment such as green light laser technology have made it easier for miners to do their work. So many people are not aware that laser technology plays a big role in the success of any mining business. Red light lasers used to be the standard, but green light lasers are beginning to get extensively used. This is due to the fact that green light is apparently stronger than the red light, and is also visible under direct sunlight.
