Mine Operations

There are two types of mining in which GEOVIA can be involved:

• Surface mining,
• underground mining.

Surface mining

Surface mining is much more common than underground mine. Surface mining involves extracting minerals and resources from the earth's upper layers by removing overburden to access ore deposits. Various surface mining methods, vital to the mining industry, include:

1. Strip Mining: Employing dragline excavators to uncover ore bodies by removing overburden, often used for preparing land for open pit mining, quarrying, and mountaintop removal mining.
2. Open Pit Mining: Involves drilling into the surface and detonating explosives to expose underlying rock, creating large pits for miners. This method is adaptable for extracting various minerals, including silver.
3. Quarrying: A form of open pit mining used for extracting slabs and byproducts from hard stones like marble and granite.
4. Mountaintop Removal Mining: Primarily used in the Appalachian Mountains to extract coal, it involves clearing mountaintops and blasting the top layers to reveal coal seams in open pit mines.
5. Highwall Mining: Used in conjunction with strip mining and open pit mining, this technique extracts coal from thick overburden layers using a continuous miner, targeting coal seams from the sides.
6. Placer Mining: Employing water and pans to recover precious metals like gold from sand and gravel due to their higher density, making them sink faster.
7. In-Situ Leach (ISL) Mining: An unconventional technique that dissolves valuable materials in place using water, carbonate solutions, or acid, avoiding the need to remove surrounding rock.

Underground mining

Underground mining, or subsurface mining, involves creating tunnels and shafts in the Earth's crust to access buried orebodies. This process is integral to the mining industry and encompasses various mining methods and techniques to efficiently extract resources.

Three types of access tunnels are used:

1. Drift Mining: Horizontal access tunnels.
2. Slope Mining: Diagonal access shafts.
3. Shaft Mining: Vertical access shafts.

Key underground mine methods include:

1. Room and Pillar Mining: Ore is cleared from a room while leaving support pillars in place until extraction is complete.
2. Retreat Mining: Follows room and pillar mining and involves removing pillars, risking mine collapse.
3. Shrinkage Stope Mining: Used in steep orebodies, with excavation and backfilling at different sublevels.
4. Sublevel Open Stoping: Suitable for strong rock bodies, requiring no structural support.
5. Cut and Fill Mining: Horizontal slices are mined from bottom to top, suitable for soft host rock.
6. Sublevel Caving: Mines the footwall side of inclined orebodies, using blasting to extract ore.
7. Block Caving: Undercuts massive orebodies, causing ore to collapse into voids.
8. Longwall Mining: Extracts coal from thin, horizontal seams inaccessible via surface mining.
9. Drift and Fill Mining: Similar to cut and fill, but for wider orebodies.

Mining companies must adhere to regulatory practices to ensure the protection of human health and mitigate the environmental impact of the mining industry. These regulations encompass:

1. Mine Closure Planning (Reclamation): Companies are required to plan for the closure of mines, including reclamation efforts to restore the environment to its original state.
2. Environmental Management Plans: Developing comprehensive plans to manage and minimize the environmental impact of mining operations.
3. Environmental Impact Assessment: Conducting assessments to evaluate the environmental impact of mining activities.
4. Environmental Monitoring: Continuously monitoring the environment during and after mine closure to track any potential issues.

When seeking international financing, mining companies must meet standards such as the IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability and the Equator Principles. These standards promote socially responsible investing but rely on self-regulation.

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), a coalition of nine mining companies, works to enhance environmental and social performance globally.

Mining operations hold a pivotal position in the worldwide economy, offering a diverse array of advantages. These advantages encompass:

• Resource Accessibility: Mining operations grant access to essential resources.
• Employment Opportunities: They generate jobs and foster workforce growth.
• Economic Advancement: They contribute to enhanced economic development.

Three primary benefits of mining operations include resource accessibility, job creation, and economic development.

The mining industry in the United States is a focus of research and safety measures through NORA (National Occupational Research Agenda). In 1978, the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was established to enhance miner health and safety. Miners can report hazards to MSHA, promoting a safer environment.

Miners receive personal protection equipment, including:

• air respirator systems,
• hearing protection,
• and protective eyewear to mitigate risks.

Detection solutions aid in early hazard identification. Protective headwear with cap lights and fall protection gear ensure safe underground mine operations. Reflective clothing enhances visibility in challenging conditions.

Furthermore, miners utilize protective 2-way communication devices and personal emergency respiratory equipment. Extra batteries are essential for uninterrupted safety measures. These comprehensive safety initiatives underscore the mining industry's commitment to safeguarding miners and the environment in the United States.

Mining activities in the mining industry involve a series of critical steps:

1. Prospecting: Geologists and exploration teams use techniques such as geological mapping, surveys, and sampling to identify potential mineral deposits.
2. Exploration: Borehole drilling, core sampling, and data collection assess the economic viability and size of identified prospects.
3. Site Preparation: Clearing vegetation, constructing access roads, and setting up infrastructure precede mining operations.
4. Extraction (Mining): Valuable minerals or ores are physically extracted from the Earth, using methods like open-pit mining, underground mining, or placer mining.
5. Processing: Raw materials undergo crushing, grinding, and chemical treatments to extract and refine valuable minerals or metals.
6. Waste Management: Mining generates waste, known as tailings or overburden. Proper management, including tailings dams and rehabilitation efforts, minimizes environmental impacts.
7. Transportation and Shipping: Mined and processed materials are transported using trucks, trains, ships, or conveyors to manufacturing facilities, ports, or distribution centers. Underground mines play a significant role in this logistical chain.