Mining

Worksheet 12
A worksheet produced by the Native Access to Engineering Programme
Concordia University, Montreal

What is mining?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the verb to mine as

1a: to dig under to gain access

2a: to get (as ore) from the earth b : the extract from a source
3: to burrow beneath the surface of
5a: to dig into for ore or metal
b: to process for obtaining a natural constituent

As the definition implies, mining is the process of extracting metal and An etching of coal miners.
mineral ores from the Earth.

Minerals
The chemical elements of the periodic table are the building blocks of minerals. There are about 3000 recognized
minerals.

What minerals can you name?

Gold, Au Nickel, Ni Silver, Ag

Some minerals are composed entirely of one chemical element like gold,
silver, mercury or copper. They are called native elements. Others are
combinations of elements. Quartz for instance is a combination of silicon
and oxygen, SiO2. Some minerals traditionally used by Aboriginal peoples
include topaz, flint (a form of quartz) and copper. These days silver, gold
and other minerals are used by artists to create jewelry and other objects.

What minerals are found near your community?

Turquoise, CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)85H2O
set in Silver, Ag
Rocks
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. When mining on land, generally it is necessary to somehow separate the
desirable minerals from other minerals in the rock.

There are 3 major rock groups.

Sedimentary rocks are formed when mineral sediment from

erosion and weather is deposited by wind, water or ice. As
these deposits build up and are buried they harden into layers.

You can see the layers in this shale, a type

of sedimentary rock.

Igneous rocks are formed by the earth’s volcanic activity.

Metamorphic rocks are sedimentary or igneous rocks which have

been transformed by pressure, temperature and fluids deep within
the Earth. Diamonds and marble are examples of metamorphic
rock.

Understanding of the different types of rocks and minerals helps

mining engineers and geologists decide where to look for ore
Obsidian is an igneous rock. deposits; high concentrations of minerals which are economical
to mine.

Types of mines
Minerals can be found on the surface of the earth, underground, on the ocean floor or even in sea water. The ocean
floor and sea water actually hold an abundance of minerals, but, because minerals are also abundant on the land,
surface and underground mining are most common.

What challenges would you face trying to mine in the ocean?

Surface mining is used when ore deposits lie relatively near the Earth’s surface. There are 3 types of surface mining:
open pit, strip and quarrying.

Open pits and quarries are very similar (quarries are generally for mining rock like granite) they tend to look like
inverted stepped pyramids. The steps are actually called benches and in big mines they are 12-15m high and up to
40 m wide. Open pit mines can be more than 700m deep.

An open pit mine.

Strip mines are long trenches dug in the ground. One strip is dug and mined at a time. The waste material from
newer strips is used to refill previous ones.

When ore deposits are far below the earth’s surface, an underground
mine is constructed. This type of mine is what we usually see in
movies. It consists of a series of vertical (shafts) and horizontal
tunnels (drifts) which allow miners and their machinery access to the
ore deposit. Underground mines can be as deep as 4000m.

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of

A miner working underground. mining underground?

Mining and Aboriginal People

On Turtle Island mining predates contact with European people. Aboriginal peoples in many areas surface mined
copper, using it for tools and decorative objects.

Did your ancestors practice mining?

What objects did they make with it?

Since contact there has been an unfortunate history of misuse and

abuse of mineral deposits on Aboriginal territories. Old mines have
been abandoned and have leeched toxic chemicals into soil and water
causing disease in the land and animals. Exploration has occurred
without the permission of the peoples who are stewards of the land. The Mistissini Geological Resources
Centre is run by the James Bay Cree of
Northern Quebec with the goal of
Mining engineers are involved in the planning, design and execution
increasing economic development
of all steps in the mining process. Because their work is intimately through mining. The Centre provides
involved with the Earth, they work very closely with geologists, people training, information and consulting
who study the composition, structure and history of the Earth through services regarding prospecting,
rocks. exploration and other mining activities.
It also plays a role in ensuring that mining
operations on Cree territory respect
Why would the history of the Earth be important to mining? traditional land use and have no adverse
affects on the people, the animals or the
land.

Many rich mineral deposits lie on or under First Nations territories that are the subject of land claims negotiations.
As the claims are settled, Aboriginal people with an expertise in geology, mineralogy and mining engineering will
be well placed to contribute to the economic development of their communities through mining.
Prospecting and Exploration
To have a mine, you have to find something worth mining. The search for ore deposits is called prospecting.

How do you find minerals which are sometimes thousands of feet under the Earth?
Mining engineers and geologists use a number of methods for prospecting.
Direct observation of a site, can sometimes indicate the potential for ore
deposits. More often samples of sediment, soil and water must be gathered
and analyzed for traces of minerals that would indicate larger deposits
under ground. Aerial and satellite imagery are also examined. Only the
most promising sites are explored more thoroughly by trenching or probe
holes.

Trenching is used when deposits are found fairly near the surface. A
A geologist takes a close look at
backhoe or other digging machine will remove topsoil to expose rock and
exposed rock.
minerals beneath for further study.

Probe holes are used for deeper deposits. Engineers use a drill with a hollow bit to drill hundreds or even thousands
of meters into the ground and extract samples of what is actually there. Probe hole core samples are usually about
50mm in diameter. By drilling a grid of probe holes, engineers and geologists can map the deposit – depth, quality,
shape, size, orientation – making mine planning easier.

The results of exploration determine whether there is enough ore available for cost-effective mining.

What elements do you think contribute to profitable mining?

Planning
In planning a mine, a mining engineer – or more likely an entire team
of engineers and scientists – has to consider all aspects of the operation
from construction through operation, closure and clean-up of the
surrounding environment.

Many mines are located far from any town or village which can supply
services, so they become like little towns themselves. In fact, in the
late 1800s and early 1900s it was not unusual for towns to spring up
around ore finds almost over night. In the Kootenay Mountains of BC Engineers examine plans for a
many towns were built around silver mines; when the mines closed so proposed mine.
did the towns.

Do you know what these abandoned towns are commonly called?

 In addition to the actual mining pit or tunnels, engineers must supply electricity,
water, waste disposal, and living quarters for the workers. They must also build
roads or airstrips so that the workers can come and go, and so that mined materials
can be moved out for processing or sale. Sometimes mined ore is processed on
the same site and so engineers must plan for this activity as well.

Another important step in panning is the reclamation plan. This is a

detailed report on how the mine site will be cleaned up and restored once
mining operations are completed.

Most important in the planning process is safety and consideration for the
local environment.

What kind of safety and environmental concerns

do you think are specific to mining?

Operation
A mining operation is mostly centered on removing ore from the ground. While old movies show miners extracting
ore from the ground using pick axes and hammers, these days ore is usually removed with a combination of
machines and explosives. There are essentially five steps in any mining operation: drilling, blasting, loading and
hauling, scaling, and reinforcing.

In large mines, drilling is done by large machines fitted with special drill bits which
are very strong and can cut through rock quickly. These bits are used to make blast
holes in the rock in which explosives can be placed. Other holes (usually larger than
the blast holes) are drilled into the rock so that there is expansion room for the
material broken by the explosives. Drills may also be used to remove ore.

A miner drilling into mine

rock.

For blasting, chemical explosives are placed in the prepared holes. When
ignited these chemicals produce very high gas pressures inside the hole
which breaks the rock along existing weaknesses. Dynamite was used for
mine blasting for many years but has been replaced by a mixture of 3
A blasting engineer fills a wall with parts ammonium nitrate, NH4NO3, and 1 part fuel oil, CH2.
charges

Can you figure out what is produced by the reaction of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil?
Why would the reaction products be important?
 Once the rock has been broken, the ore has to be hauled away for processing.
In surface mining ore is loaded onto trucks some of which can hold nearly
200 tonnes! Depending on the depth and type of mine, trucks may also be
used to remove ore from inside underground mines. If the mine is too deep
for trucks, belt conveyors or other mechanized hauling systems are used to
bring the ore to the surface where it is then loaded onto trucks.

Scaling is the process of clearing a newly blasted area of loose rock.

Why do you think scaling is important?

Finally, a blasted area is reinforced to provide the newly exposed rock with
extra strength. Reinforcing can be provided in a number of ways: steel bolts
can be inserted into the rock face, or a system of beams and columns (made
from concrete, wood or hydraulic props) can be used to support the rock.

Huge trucks are used to haul Operation of a mine also involves maintaining all of the services required to
large amounts of ore from the run the mine, so there must be adequate lighting, ventilation and access in
mine site for processing. both surface and underground mines.

Ventilation is really important for the people working in the mine,

but what else is it required for?

Environmental concerns
While mining activity can be very good for economic growth, it is an activity which directly impacts the land. Great
care must be taken in order to ensure that historical and sacred sites, as well as migration routes, trap lines and the
environment are protected before mining starts.

One of the main environmental problems associated with mining is acidic

drainage. When waste rock (or tailings) from a mining operation is
exposed to water and air, sulphides – a combination of sulfur and other
minerals – in the rock react to produce sulfuric acid. This acid can
leech into the nearby soil or watershed dragging poisonous heavy metals
such as lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, selenium, mercury, and cadmium
into the ground and surface water.

What effect do you think acidic drainage might have on community hunting or fishing?
 There is another major problem related to tailings. Sometimes this waste rock contains very small
amounts of desirable minerals, like gold or silver, but not enough in any one rock piece for processing.
If, however, there is a large enough amount of waste rock, and mines can produce thousands of
tonnes per day, there is an economical way to remove the desired mineral from the tailings. It
involves pouring a cyanide solution over the rocks. The cyanide seeps into the rock and chemically
removes the gold or silver, which is then collected and sold. The problem is that tailings are
generally just piled up on land close to the mine so when the cyanide is poured over the rocks it
drains into the surrounding land making the land toxic.

These examples are just a few of the ways that mining can have negative affects on the surrounding environment.
Fortunately, with planning these and other impacts can be avoided.

What we get from mining

Gold, silver, aluminum, salt, diamonds, potash, sulfur, copper and
uranium are just a few of the minerals which we can extract from the
Earth. From their processing we get an almost countless number of
products which we use in our lives everyday – stoves,
snowmobiles, jewelry, computers, satellites, hunting
equipment, cars, utensils, tools, trucks, art work
and even clothing.

How many common metals and mineral products do you see or use daily?
What would be more difficult about your life if there was no mining?
Mining has many benefits in our daily lives, but like other human activities which impact the land, it is an activity
which must be undertaken with care and an understanding of the Earth.

References
Canadian Geological Survey NativeTech
www.nrcan.gc.ca/cgs www.nativetech.org
Centre for Disease Control, Cyanide Natural Resources Canada
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts8.html www.nrcan.gc.ca
Encyclopedia Britannica Northern perspectives
www.brittannica.com www.carc.org
Junior Rockhound magazine US Geological Survey
www.canadianrockhound.com/junior_aboutrocks.html www.usgs.gov

Thanks to Alfred Loon, Cree Regional Authority, for his help regarding the Mistissini Geological Resources Centre.
Math Problems
1. You are a mining engineer who has just opened a firm in your community. Prospecting has indicated that there
may be significant gold deposits on your community’s land. You take a team of people out to gather core
samples, the results are listed in the table below.

Probe hole High gold concentration

(meters below surface)
1 7m – 20m
2 8m – 25m
3 9m – 30m
4 10m – 32m
5 15m – 18m
6 17m – 22m
7 17m – 22m
8 17m – 28m

Your core samples were laid out as follows. There is 10 m between holes, east-west and north-south.

Draw a rough map of what the ore deposit looks like. What conclusions can you draw from the map?

2. Your community runs an iron mine. On average 1500 tonnes of rock are removed from the mine
each day for processing. You are selling the raw materials to a plant which is currently
producing 1,000kg steel beams for construction. The material you mine is about 43%
waste. It takes 1,080kg of raw iron to produce 1 beam. How many beams does the
plants produce from the one day’s worth of material from your mine?