In general, mining refers to the extraction of minerals and geological materials from the earth, from a rock or seal. Today various elements are recovered by cryptocurrency as such materials are not grown, agriculturally processed, or artificially created. Excellent examples are precious metals, coal, diamonds, and gold. Non-renewable sources such as natural gas, petroleum, and even water are also mined. With the use of proper mining equipment, the ardent and difficult task of mining is accomplished.
Pre-Historic Mining
Early civilization has utilized the earth’s resources by means of mining for a variety of purposes. Most of the minerals and elements mined in early times were used for the creation of weapons and other tools. During these times, high quality flint, which occurs in masses of sedimentary rocks, was already sought after in parts of Europe. They were used as weapons in the Stone Age. Despite the limited mining equipment, Neanderthal men were able to quarry and create improvised tools.
Because of their wealth and power, the ancient Egypt civilization was one of the firsts to successfully mine minerals. They used to mine malachite and gold. The green stones were utilized mainly for pottery and as ornaments. Later on, the Egyptians started quarrying for minerals not found in their land. Using iron tools as mining equipment, they sought minerals, mostly gold from Nubia. Fire-setting was a popular method of extracting gold from ores. The rock containing the mineral is set against a rock face to heat it and then doused with water. Fire-setting was perhaps the most popular method of mining back in the days.
It was the Romans who made great development in the history of mining. They were the first ones to use large scale quarrying methods such as the use of volumes of water to operate simple machinery, remove debris, and so forth. This has come to be known as hydraulic mining or hydraulicking. This is a form of mining that uses high-pressured jolts of water to move rocks and other debris.
In the 1300s, the demand for metal to swords, armors, and other weapons increased dramatically. More minerals such as iron and silver were extensively quarried. The demand to produce coins likewise increased to the point of causing a shortage of silver. During this period, iron became an indispensable component in building constructions; machineries and other mining equipment became prevalent.
From open-pit mining, water mills and black powder have evolved into bulldozers, explosives, trucks, and so on. Other technological innovations such as green light laser used in mining as saw guides and machine alignment help miners quarry lands.
From pre-historic tools, large machineries are now used to effectively and quickly excavate lands. These are also used to break down and remove rocks, even mountains. Custom engineered equipment now helps in the extraction of various precious minerals and other bedded materials such as gypsum and salt.
Today, there are currently five categories of mining: coal, metal ore, non-metallic mineral mining, oil, and gas extraction. Oil and gas extraction remains to be one of the biggest industries in the world today.