To keep up with the growing population of the world, the mining and construction industries are always at work. The mining of strong materials and elements contributes to many sectors from jewelers to plumbers to construction workers.
The precious stones mined all over the world go to the best jewelers to create engagement rings and other jewelry while precious metals like copper go to plumbers to be used as pipes. Using mined materials to construct homes, skyscrapers, and other buildings is essential for construction projects to be done with the finest materials.
These two industries go hand in hand and have operations that follow similar protocols and use similar machinery. Read below to discover all you need to know about mining and construction operations.
Mining Operations
Mining involves to extraction of natural materials from the earth by digging, entering cave systems, and working both above and underground. The most commonly mined materials are iron, coal, gold, copper, precious stones, and other rare earth materials.
Types of Mining
The two types of mining are surface mining and underground mining. Surface mining can be approached through three different methods: open-pit mining, strip mining, and mountaintop removal. Open-pit mining involves going into a large pit in the earth and extracting natural materials from it.
Strip mining means that miners remove surface levels off of areas like mountainsides to reveal valuable materials underneath. This is usually how mineral deposits are found. Mountaintop mining is a very strenuous process in which miners will slowly remove the summit of a mountain to reveal mineral seams within.
Underground mining is done in cave systems to access precious stones and metals deep within the earth. For this and all other kinds of mining, you need to be experienced with heavy machinery. If this kind of work interests you, check out the Excavator ticket Sydney course where you can get certified to operate excavators. With iron ore mining, miners use the room and pillar method in which they use heavy machinery to dig out rooms and then support the ceiling with pillars.
The Mining Process
The mining process begins with exploration where experts scope out a certain area by doing geological surveys to prove that it contains the desired elements. The next step is extraction. This is the most time-consuming part and requires a whole crew of experienced miners. After that comes the processing of the natural material and later reclamation of the land.
Construction Operations
Construction is the act of erecting buildings using heavy machinery and strong materials. Construction can also refer to the building of roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.
Types of Construction
The four main types of construction are residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure. Residential refers to family homes and apartment buildings while commercial deals with skyscrapers and other office buildings. Industrial construction covers factories, warehouses, and other large structures built for industrial purposes. Infrastructure construction includes roads, tunnels, bridges, and more.
The Construction Process
The construction process begins with planning and design, then site preparation and breaking ground. The building process of a construction project usually lasts the longest and can take months or even years to complete. Construction crews work together with electricians, plumbers, and other contractors to make sure that the project is completed correctly.
Mining and construction are both industries that require a lot of training and teamwork to complete jobs. These industries are both essential in the world today and are always looking for workers.
