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Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology pp 629–649Cite as

Mining

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Abstracting; Cutting; Digging; Dig-out; Excavating; Extracting; Hollowing; Quarrying; Removal; Scooping; Unearthing

Definition

Mining is the extraction or abstraction of mineral deposits from the surface or subsurface of the Earth.

Overview of Mining, Minerals, and Society

“If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined”…! Almost every item we use contains minerals. Society has been and continues to be dependent on minerals produced by mining. It could be argued that every material item in society is produced from a mineral or derived from a mineral product. Mineral resources are therefore likely to remain a fundamental necessity for society into the future.

Mining, like agriculture, represents one of the earliest activities of Homo sapiens. Evidence (stone tools) for mining extends back to Paleolithic times (ca. 450,000 yr. BP). Surface/underground mining in parts of Africa (e.g., Swaziland) dates back to 40,000 yr. BP. Fired clay pots in Czechoslovakia date back some 30,000 yr....

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester, UK

    Laurance Donnelly

Authors
  1. Laurance Donnelly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laurance Donnelly .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sidney, BC, Canada

    Peter T. Bobrowsky

  2. London, UK

    Brian Marker

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Donnelly, L. (2018). Mining. In: Bobrowsky, P.T., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_201

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