Since the beginning of civilization, humans have utilized minerals and metals found close to the Earth’s surface.

Early tools and weapons were crafted from high-quality flint, such as the kind found in northern Europe and southern England.

Flint mines, like the ones at Krzemionki (dating back to around 4000–3000 BC), reveal our ancestors’ resourcefulness.

The Ngwenya Mine in Eswatini (Swaziland) is the oldest-known mine, where Paleolithic humans mined hematite to create red pigment ochre.

Today, the mining industry involves large multinational companies sustained by production from their mining operations.

Various other industries, including equipment manufacture, environmental testing, and metallurgy analysis, rely on and support the mining sector globally

Lode Mining: Extracting minerals from veins or deposits within rock formations.

Placer Mining: Collecting minerals from alluvial deposits (such as riverbeds) using techniques like panning.

Vein Mining: Focusing on mineral-rich veins within rock formations.

Equipment: Drills, explosives, pumps, and other specialized tools are used in mining operations

Mining operations can create a negative environmental impact during and after closure.

Regulations aim to mitigate environmental harm, but enforcement can be challenging due to mining’s economic significance in rural or remote communities.

Safety practices have improved, but unregulated or poorly regulated mining can still contribute to local hazards