Mining tools is a general phrase that refers to all the mining equipment and mining machines used to extract minerals from the earth.

Mined minerals appear in almost every consumer product—from cars, to electronics, to jewelry and more. Minerals like uranium and coal are major energy sources that account for 50% of the US’s energy supply.

All of these resources are obtained through the use of various types of mining tools and mining equipment.

Before we begin identifying key mining tools and mining machines, it’s important to understand the different types of mining methods for which these tools are used.

Toward that end, the first section of this guide covers the different mining techniques and methods. After we provide that context for the different ways mining is done we’ll dive into the specific tools used for each type of mining.

Types of Mining Methods

Mining falls into two categories: surface mining and underground mining.

The type of minerals that a mining operation is trying to extract and the mining techniques they’re using to extract those minerals directly informs the types of tools that miners use in their work.

That being said, a basic method is always followed for both surface and underground mining. That method is:

1. Extraction. Extraction consists of digging, drilling, or blasting into the earth to extract minerals.
2. Material handling. Material handling consists of sorting through materials, sending target minerals to a processing site, and sending irrelevant materials to a waste area.
3. Material processing. Material processing is where minerals go to be smelted, crushed, grinded, or refined, converting the minerals into finished products for distribution.

SURFACE MINING METHODS

Surface mining is a mining method used to extract minerals that are close to the earth’s surface.

Mining methods for surface mining include:

• Strip mining. Strip mining removes thin layers of surface material in order to reach the mineral. The layer above the mineral is called overburden, and it typically consists of soil and rocks. This surface mining technique is commonly used to extract coal that is laying near the surface, and it is a method that is used to prepare the area for open-pit mining. mining machines/
• Open pit mining. Open-pit mining is a technique that involves drilling into the earth’s surface to set explosives. These explosions create a large pit for miners to access underlying rocks. This surface mining technique can be used to extract silver.
• Quarrying. Quarrying is a process in which miners cut blocks of hard stone. Miners will also extract by-products of these hard stones, like sand, gravel, or small stones. Quarrying is made accessible by open-pit mining. This surface mining technique is typically used to extract granite, marble, and other hard stones.
• In-situ leach (ISL) mining. In-situ mining is primarily used for extracting uranium, which is used for nuclear power. This surface mining technique consists of dissolving the mineral in place without moving rock from the surface layers.
• Placer mining. Placer mining is used to extract gold from sand or gravel by using pans and water. Gold, which has a higher density than sand and gravel, will sink faster, making it easier to collect.