EXTRACTION OF ROCKS AND

MINERALS FROM THE EARTH-

Surface mining.
 OBJECTIVE
• To describe the methods of extraction of rocks and minerals from the Earth: – surface
mining
 WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN THE
PREVIOUS CLASS?
• PROSPECTING AND EXPLORATION METHODS- NAME THE METHODS
• FACTORS AFFECTING MINING- NAME THE FACTORS
 STARTER-

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPx2-QcAQbc-

• Note down the important points from the video.

• https://www.mozaweb.com/Search/global?search=open%20cast%20mine
• -Check out the 3D open cast mine.
 TYPES OF MINING
• Surface/open cast mining
scoop ore off surface of the
earth or dig big holes and
scoop
• Cheap
• Safe for miners
• Large amount of
environmental destruction
• Subsurface/deep mining use
shafts to reach deeply buried
ores
• Expensive
• Hazardous for miners
• Less environmental damage
 TYPES OF SURFACE
MINING-
Surface mining, includes -
• strip mining, 
• Open pit mining/ open cast /open cut mining.,
• Mountain top removal mining
is a broad category of mining  in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit
(the overburden) are removed.
 GENERAL PROCESS OF SURFACE MINING-
• This approach can only be used when the rocks
containing the mineral (the ore body) are found
relatively close to the surface.
• Sometimes referred to as open-cast, open pit or
strip mining, the soil and rock overlying the ore
body (overburden) is first removed by
specialist earth moving heavy machinery.
• Once exposed , other equipment such as massive
dragline and bucket wheel excavators dig out
and remove the ore body from flat terraces or
benches that circle the mine at descending levels.
 STRIP MINING-(EXTRA INFORMATION)

• "Strip mining" is the practice of mining a seam of mineral, by first removing a long strip
of overlying soil and rock (the overburden); this activity is also referred to as
"overburden removal". It is most commonly used to mine coal and lignite (brown coal).
Strip mining is only practical when the ore body to be excavated is relatively near the
surface. This type of mining uses some of the largest machines on earth,
including bucket-wheel excavators which can move as much as 12,000 cubic metres of
earth per hour.
 OPEN –PIT MINING-
• "Open-pit mining" refers to a method of
extracting rock or minerals from the
earth through their removal from an
open pit or borrow. Although open-pit
mining is sometimes mistakenly
referred to as "strip mining", the two
methods are different
KEY WORDS
 ACTIVITY TIME-
Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3

Write the advantages and Search for various minerals and

• https:// disadvantages of surface mining. metals for which surface mining
www.greatmining.com/Surface- method is used. What are the
Mining.html possible impacts of surface mining?
• Learners study images of surface
and subsurface mines and
• further categorise the
images as opencast, open-pit,
open-cut,
• strip mines. Write the
process of surface mining.
 RUBRIC

Acceptable Good Very Good Outstanding

 

 I can define surface I can identify various I can analyse the I can compare surface and
mining types of surface mining. advantages and sub-surface mining and can
And describe the process disadvantages of evaluate the conditions when
of surface mining surface mining. one of these methods will be
used.

Target set by the learner:

Teachers remark:
My Targets for improvement: