As I grew up, and now in my mid 30’s, I have encountered the
word mining several times and most of it I heard from television news reports.
I believe Mining as a human activity is being portrayed as illegal and has a
negative implication. Recently, it has become sensationalized as numerous
mining companies, small or large scale were forced to close shop.
For lay men, mining is a bit of a mystery. Yes, we know that
mining is extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from
the Earth, but what is it really, as a whole defining concept? I hope this
mining saga series will enlighten you on what is really meant by the concept of
mining.
Technically the extracted materials usually comes from
orebody, lode, vein, seam, reef or placer deposits. Ores includes limestone,
chalk, metals, oil shale, coal, rock salt, potash, clay, gravel, gemstones and
dimension stone. In a sense, mining is a process to obtain anything that cannot
be grown through agricultural process.
Mining has been a part of the human activity since time
immemorial because even during the prehistoric era, it was part of our ancestors’
way of life. They mined stone, ceramics and metals to make tools and weapons.
The “Lion Cave” in Swaziland (officially, Kingdom of Eswatini), a sovereign
state in Southern Africa, is said to be the oldest mining excavation with a
radiocarbon dating of about 43,000 years old.
The gauge of a prehistoric period of human history is
distinguished by the progression of most primitive stone tools discovered.
Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic are examples of an era or period of time.
This clearly indicates that mining started way back and has helped humans
survive throughout history.
As we travel back in time we can appreciate how mining
evolved and has affected the human culture, like in Ancient Egypt where they
mined bright green malachite stones and used it as ornaments and for their
pottery. Here you can conclude that mining evolved from being a material for
their flint tools and onto a material for art and culture. Also gold mining in
Egypt particularly in Nubia is among the largest and extensive with a method
called fire-setting was used to break down the rocks holding the gold.
Greeks and Romans, words I only read in books and heard in
movies, were also part of the mining revolution. I know most of us have seen
them in movies, with their shining gold armours, carriages and spears. Where do
you think they got them? Yes, they are all by products of mining. The Romans
were the ones who developed large scale mining methods. Foremost of these
methods is the hydraulic mining where water was used to remove overburden and
rock debris. Among the Roman mining regions, Spain was one of the most
important. It is in Spain where they exploit large alluvial gold deposits.
Funny to discover that Spain was a vast treasure cove
exploited by the Romans and the fact that Spain colonized the Philippines for
hundreds of years, maybe that’s why the Philippines has a fair share of hidden
treasures, minerals and gold. Well, more of mining facts on the next episode.
Thank you for taking time to read this.
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