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Mineral Engineering
A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes
that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic
structure and specific physical properties. A rock, by comparison, is an
aggregate of minerals and need not have a specific chemical composition.
Minerals range in composition from pure elements and simple salts to very
complex silicates with thousands of known forms. The study of minerals is called
mineralogy.
Mineral Engineering is the science of mining. Minerals have many important
industrial uses, and the methods used to remove them from the earth must be safe
and environmentally sound. Mineral Engineers survey and plan mines, including
systems of ventilation, and participate in their management. They also design
the blasts used to open mines. Dy-no-mite. The Mineral Engineering major
sometimes falls under geological engineering. If your prospective college does
not offer the Mineral Engineering major, ask them which of their programs covers
the science of mining and minerals. Often, the Mineral Engineering major is a
very close match.
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 recovered by mining include bauxite, coal, copper, gold, silver,
diamonds, iron, precious metals, lead, limestone, nickel, phosphate, oil shale,
rock salt, tin, uranium, and molybdenum. Any material that cannot be grown from
agricultural processes, or created artificially in a laboratory or factory, is
usually mined. Mining in a wider sense can also include extraction of petroleum,
natural gas, and even water.The oldest known mine in the archaeological record
is the "Lion Cave" in Swaziland. At this site, which by radiocarbon dating is
43,000 years old, paleolithic humans mined for the iron-containing mineral
hematite, which they ground to produce the red pigment ochre. Sites of a similar
age where Neanderthals may have mined flint for weapons and tools have been
found in Hungary.While exploration and mining can sometimes be conducted by
individual entrepreneurs or small business, most modern-day mines are large
enterprises requiring large amounts of capital to establish. Consequently, the
mining sector of the industry is dominated by large, often multinational, mostly
publicly-listed companies. See Category:Mining companies for a list.
Mineral engineers also work in the areas of:
Exploration, Ore reserve estimation, Rock and soil mechanics, Seismic testing
and research, Blast design and rock fragmentation, Heavy civil construction:
dams, tunnels etc., Mine drainage and dewatering, Occupational health and
safety, Ventilation, Petroleum engineering, Production supervision, Management,
Consulting companies, Research facilities, Governments, Environmental design,
Banks, Brokerage houses, mining companies, financial sector, environmental
groups, consulting, teaching, governments, energy, oil and gas, research centres.
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