From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mining Engineering is a field that involves many of the other engineering disciplines as applied to extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment.

surface coal mine with haul truck in foreground

The need for mineral extraction and production is an essential activity of any technically proficient society. As minerals are produced from within a naturally occurring environment, disturbance of the environment as a result of mineral production is a given. Modern mining engineers must therefore be concerned not only with the production and processing of mineral commodities, but also with the mitigation of damage or changes to an environment as a result of that production and processing.

The two primary types of mine are underground mines and open-pit mines. Minerals that exist relatively deep underground (eg. some coal seams, gold and some metalliferous ores) are generally recovered using underground mining methods. Minerals like iron ore, shallow coal seams and bauxite are usually recovered from the surface by openpit mining.

Engineering disciplines that are closely related to mining engineering are:

• Civil engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Geotechnical engineering
• Hydraulic engineering
• Electrical engineering
• Structural Engineering

Specialized areas of mining engineering involve extraction of minerals from underwater mines, seawater, in-situ retorting of rock, and underground gasification.

According to a census, in the year 2007 only 103 students received a Bachelor's Degree in Mining Engineering throughout America.

Explosions used to break up a rock formation and aid in the collection of ore is called blasting. There are two types of blasting: high velocity and low velocity. High velocity blasting uses explosives that have high rates of reactions and produce high pressures (i.e. high explosives). Low velocity blasting is done with explosives which have a low rate of reaction and thus low pressures (i.e. low explosives). Blasting is done in selected regions where the ore is available. The size of the ore after blasting varies.

School of Mines

• Definitions and references [1]
• SME - Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration [2]
• Website at the U.S. Department of Labor [3]
• Mining