![]() ![]() Underground mining is done in a number of ways:ġ. A vertical or horizontal tunnel is built to connect passage from the surface to the underground mine. ![]() In this technique, shafts and tunnels are dug underground to access buried deposits. ![]() Surface mining collects gems from shallow deposits, while underground mining extracts gemstones from beneath the Earth's surface. The overburden is stripped by using an industrial shovel or dragline to expose the deposit. This layer of undesired material is called overburden. Strip mining - This mining method is employed in shallow deposits where a mineral layer is covered by soil or rock, typically near tectonic plates. This is the common extraction method for mining gold, silver, diamonds, and metal ores.Ģ. Coloured stone mines are typically smaller. Open pits can be vast, some measuring up to 1 kilometre wide as is the case for diamond mines. This is done by filling it up with topsoil and planting vegetation. After the operations have been completed, the open pit is rehabilitated. Once gem-bearing rocks are extracted they are washed by high-pressure jets of water to obtain the gemstones.Ī water management system is in place to prevent an active mine from becoming a lake. There are also ramps that allow ease of access to trucks and mining equipment. For the safety of the miners, stepped sides are created around the pit to lower the risk of collapse. ![]() Open-pit mining - It involves digging downwards until the surface is exposed, eventually creating a pit. There are 2 types of surface mining methods:ġ. Plants, soil, bedrock, and other surface features are removed to reach the location of the gemstones. This technique is often used for shallow deposits where the gems are near the surface of the ground. In this article, we focus on the main approaches in extracting gemstones and what happens during these operations. The type of method used depends on what raw material is being targeted in the operation. Mining is a generic term which describes the excavation of a deposit to obtain the resources we need. We also established that mining, as long as it's ethical and responsible, is vital to a society's progress. These valuable resources include minerals, metals, and gemstones. In our previous blogs, we learned that mining is the process of extracting raw materials from the Earth. ![]()
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