Part I Introduction

1 Introduction to Mining 2 Mineral Economics 3 Government Role and Influence in Mining

Section 1 Introduction to Mining

HOWARD L. HARTMAN, SENIOR EDITOR
AND

SECTION COORDINATOR

1.0 Introduction .......................................................... 3 1.1 History of Mining ................................................. 5 1.1.1 Chronology of Events .............................. 5 1.1.2 The Miners Contribution to Society.. .... 19 1.2 Elements of Mining ............................................. 24 1.2.1 Preliminary Topics .................................... 24 1.2.2 Stages of Mining ...................................... 26 1.2.3 Unit Operations of Mining ....................... 28 1.2.4 Surface Mining ......................................... 31 1.2.5 Underground Mining ................................ 32 1.2.6 Supplemental Topics ............................... 35 1.3 Mineral Engineering Education ......................... 39

1.3.1 Introduction ............................................... 39 1.3.2 Enrollment ................................................. 39 1.3.3 Basic Requirements for the Bachelors Degree ....................................................... 39 1.3.4 Some Recent Changes in Educational Emphasis ................................................... 40 1.3.5 Problems of Mineral Engineering Education .................................................. 40 1.3.6 Future of Mineral Engineering Education .................................................. 41 1.3.7 Summary and Conclusions ..................... 42

Chapter 1.0 INTRODUCTION

HOWARD L. HARTMAN
It is appropriate in this opening section to introduce the broad topic of mining and mining engineeringthe general subject of this entire Handbook. Hence, Section 1 in three chapters explores the history of mining, outlines the elements of mining, and discusses mineral engineering education. Coverage of history and education appears only in this section. utensils and the lethalness of his weapons by an order of magnitude when his mineral frontiers first extended beyond the nonmetallics to the metallics. And the discovery and utilization of the first of the mineral fuels (coal) in the late 13th century AD carried civilization another quantum leap forward. Much is learned both of mining development and human civilization when plotting a chronology of historical events. It is astonishing how well they correlate. In fact, one can track the major migrations of civilization westward and the discovery of the New World with the insatiable lust for mineral wealth.

1.0.1.1 History of Mining

Contributions made by mining have played a much more significant role in the development of civilization than is generally conceded by historians or recognized by ordinary citizens. In modern society, mined products pervade all industry and the lives of all civilized people. Early man relied largely on stone and ceramics, and eventually metals, to fashion tools and weapons. Civilization was advanced by discoveries such as abundant supplies of high-quality flint in northern France and southern England and firesetting to break rock. Middle Eastern cultures flourished not only because of agriculture and trade, but also because of mineral-rich deposits nearby. The earliest miners date back perhaps to 300,000 BC; their quest was for nonmetallic minerals (chert, flint, obsidian) suitable for utensils and eventually for weapons. Other rocks and minerals (ceramics, clay, salt, meteoric iron) attracted the miners for jewelry, cosmetics, construction materials, food seasoning, and coinage. At first, their excavations were confined to the surface, either pits or placers. But by about 40,000 BC, mine workings had been extended underground as short adits or shafts, and by 8000 BC as elaborate interconnected openings 300 ft (90 m) in depth. Metallurgical separation of metals from their ores and their subsequent fabrication evolved gradually over the centuries, copper being the first liberated (c. 7000 BC) followed by lead, silver, gold, and iron. Man enhanced both the sophistication of his

1.0.1.2 Elements of Mining

Mining and mining engineering are similar but not synonymous terms. Mining consists of the processes, the occupation, and the industry concerned with the extraction of minerals from the earth. Mining engineering, on the other hand, is the art and the science applied to the processes of mining and to the operation of mines. The trained professional who relates the two is the mining engineer; he/she is responsible for helping to locate and prove mines, for designing and developing mines, and for exploiting and managing mines. The essence of mining in extracting minerals from the earth is to drive (construct) an excavation or an opening to serve as a means of entry from the existing surface to the mineral deposit. Whether the openings lie on the surface or are placed underground fixes the locale of the mine. The specific details of the procedure, layout, equipment, and system used distinguish the mining method, which is uniquely determined by the physical, geologic, environmental, economic, and legal circumstances that prevail. Using scientific principles, technological knowledge, and managerial skills, the mining engineer brings a mineral property through the four stages in the life of a mine: prospecting, exploration, development, and exploitation.

MINING ENGINEERING HANDBOOK

cessing, and metallurgical and materials engineering, Numbers of mining engineers graduating in the United States range from 200 to 800 per year (BS, MS, and PhD degrees). Mineral engineering is a broad educational field, in part because accreditational standards for engineering education are extraordinarily wide ranging. In addition to mathematics, the basic sciences, and professional courses, mineral engineers must master a variety of engineering sciences ranging from electrical circuits to thermodynamics and strength of materials. At present, nearly all US undergraduate curricula are four years in duration, although increasingly the bachelors degree is followed by a year or two of graduate study. As mineral engineering grows ever more complex and technologically sophisticated, there is greater emphasis in the curriculum on computers, systems, and related topics. Likewise, there is a liberalizing effort underway to humanize and to stress social responsibility in the engineers education.

NOTE: Chapter 1.2 follows the outline of the Handbook, previewing in turn the six major parts of the volume, subdivided into 25 sections.

1.0.1.3 Mineral Engineering Education

The training of mining engineers was one of the first specialized fields in engineering education. Originating in 1716 at the academy in Joachimstal, Czechoslovakia, mining and mineral engineering education is now offered at institutions of higher learning on a worldwide basis. In the United States, 37 colleges and universities currently award ABET-accredited degrees in mining and related fields of engineering (ABET is the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.). Disciplines encompassed by the generic term mineral engineering include mining, geological, environmental, mineral pro-