Mining: A Very Short Introduction

About this book

'If it can't be grown, it must be mined'. This fundamental truth underscores the global need for mining, and the reason why it has been carried out since prehistoric times. To supply the raw materials for buildings, industrial goods, vehicles, technology, and even art, minerals and rock must be removed from the Earth. 'Mining' describes this removal, but also covers the ore deposit exploration, developments of ore deposit models (geological, engineering and mineral economics-focused) and post-removal processing to extract the economically valuable materials, environmental protection, and social and corporate responsibility, in a construct known as the 'Mining Value Chain'. Mining continues to evolve due to the new emphasis on extracting a wider range of materials than ever before for green technologies, on using novel robotic and earth observation technology in exploration and mining, and on integrating environmental and social protection measures throughout the Mining Value Chain. Today's paradigms are 'sustainable' and 'responsible mining', mining that is profitable but protects the environment, human rights, and health. Mining: A Very Short Introduction covers this information and looks to the future to see where mining ideally will go.

Contents

1. Mining: early beginnings to present activities
2. Ore deposits
3. Exploration through to designing a mine
4. Mining the ore deposit
5. Minerals engineering: mineral processing and metallurgy
6. Environmental and social considerations for sustainable and responsible mining
7. The future of mining

Further reading
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Karen Hudson-Edwards is Professor of Sustainable Mining at the Camborne School of Mines and Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter. She holds a BSc in Geological Sciences from Queen's University, Canada, an MSc from Memorial University of Newfound, and a PhD from the University of Manchester, UK. She has worked at the Geological Survey of Canada and Falconbridge as an exploration geologist and Birkbeck, University of London as lecturer to professor. Her research interests lie in the fields of geochemistry, mineralogy, mine waste characterisation and remediation, sustainable mining, and technology metals. She has published over 125 papers in these fields.

Hannah Hughes is a Senior Lecturer in Exploration and Mining Geology at the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, UK. She holds a MESc in Earth Sciences from the University of Oxford, an MSc from Camborne School of Mines, and a PhD from Cardiff University, UK. She has previously worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Hannah's research focuses on the processes controlling the formation and geochemistry of magmatic rocks and mineral deposits hosted within these, as well as the distribution and mobility of precious metal in the Earth's crust and mantle and the causes of gas explosions in underground mines.