DIFFERENT TYPE OF MINING IN THE PHILIPPINES

1.) OPEN-PIT MINING

Open-pit mining, also known as opencast mining,
is a surface mining technique that extracts
minerals from an open pit in the ground. Open-pit
mining is the most common method used
throughout the world for mineral mining and does
not require extractive methods or tunnels. Open-
pit mines that produce building materials and
dimension stone are commonly referred to as “quarries.”

Materials typically extracted from open-pit mines include:

 Bitumen
 Clay
 Coal
 Copper
 Coquina
 Diamonds
 Gravel and stone (stone refers to bedrock, while gravel is unconsolidated
material)
 Granite
 Gritstone
 Gypsum
 Limestone
 Marble
 Metal ores, such as Copper, Iron, Gold, Silver and Molybdenum
 Uranium
 Phosphate
Places that conduct open-pit mining; Located in the southern Philippine province of
South Cotabato, the Tampakan project is touted as the largest undeveloped copper-
gold minefield in Southeast Asia and among the biggest of its kind in the world.
Source:
https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geology/Fundamentals_of_Geology_(Schulte)/
12%3A_Geological_Implications/12.10%3A_Open-Pit_Mining
 2.) DREDGING
Dredging is the removal of sediments and
debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers,
harbours, and other water bodies. It is a routine
necessity in waterways around the world
because sedimentation—the natural process of
sand and silt washing downstream—gradually
fills channels and harbours. Types of material
dredged can include sand, silt, clay, gravel, coral, rock, boulders, and peat.
Mining for ores is considered further within the section on industrial wastes.
Places that conduct Dredging; Pasig River. Around 134,500 metric tons of silt
have been dredged from Sector 2 Paco to San Miguel in Manila including
Malacañang area. Around 147,500 metric tons have been dredged in Sector 3—
Pandacan/Sta. Mesa also in Manila including San Juan River junction. Around
39,670 metric tons have been dredged in Sector 4, covering C-5 to Marikina
River junction in Pasig City.
This may require treatment of the sediments, but generally speaking, dredged material
such as rock, gravel and sand, consolidated clay, silt or soft clay and a mixture of rock,
can to varying degrees be used as a resource.
A variety of uses of dredged material:

 Rock may range from soft marl like sandstone and coral to hard rock like granite and
basalt. Depending on size and quantity, rock can be a valuable construction material.
 Gravel and sand are perhaps the most valuable resource and are routinely used for
beach nourishment, wetland restoration and coastal protection.
 Consolidated clay, if the water content is low, can be used for engineering purposes.
 Silt and soft clay usually come from maintenance dredging, are rich in nutrients and
thus are good for agricultural purposes such as topsoil and for wildlife habitat
development.
 Mixed materials are somewhat more restricted in use options but may still be used for
fill, land improvement and topsoil.

Sources: https://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/news-events/press-releases/3841-
denr-commends-smc-s-accomplishments-in-pasig-river-dredging-project
https://www.iadc-dredging.com/subject/what-is-dredging/dredged-material-
resource/#:~:text=This%20may%20require%20treatment%20of,be%20used
%20as%20a%20resource.