Mining

Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. Materials commonly recovered by mining include bauxite, coal, copper, diamonds, iron, gold, lead, manganese, magnesium, nickel, phosphate, platinum, rock salt, silver, tin, titanium, uranium, and zinc. Other highly useful materials that are mined include clay, sand, cinder, gravel, granite, and limestone. Any material that cannot be grown from agricultural processes must be mined. Mining in a wider sense can also include extraction of petroleum and natural gas.

Extractive metallurgy

The science of extractive metallurgy is the study of beneficiation and extraction of valuable metals and minerals from their ores. Although extractive metallurgy is all encompassing, mineral processing or mineral dressing is often the term used for the study of processing coal, industrial minerals and precious stones, as these are not metals.

Related Topics:
Extractive metallurgy - Mineral processing

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