Open-pit mining

"Opencast" redirects here. For the open-source software project, see Opencast (software).
Machinery is minuscule compared to the size of this mine.
Rock blasting at the large open-pit Twin Creeks gold mine in Nevada, United States. Note the size of the excavators for scale (foreground, left), and that the bottom of the mine is not visible.
The giant bucket-wheel excavators in the German Rhineland coal mines are among the world's biggest land vehicles.

Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining,[1] is a surface mining technique that extracts rock or minerals from the earth.

Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface where the overburden is relatively thin. In contrast, deeper mineral deposits can be reached using underground mining.[2]

Kittilä Gold Mine in Kittilä, Finland is the largest primary gold producer in Europe.[3][4]

Open-pit mining is considered one of the most dangerous sectors in the industrial world.[not verified in body] It causes significant effects to miners' health, as well as damage to the ecological land and water. Open-pit mining causes changes to vegetation, soil, and bedrock, which ultimately contributes to changes in surface hydrology, groundwater levels, and flow paths.[5] Additionally, open-pit produces harmful pollutants depending on the type of mineral being mined, and the type of mining process being used.

  1. ^ Serafini, Paula (4 May 2018). "The Argentinian fight against 'mega mining'". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  2. ^ Read "Evolutionary and Revolutionary Technologies for Mining" at NAP.edu. 2002. doi:10.17226/10318. ISBN 978-0-309-07340-0.
  3. ^ "Supplying more than 100 valves to the largest gold mine in Europe". AVK International. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. ^ Chen, Jackson (27 October 2023). "Agnico operating permit restored for Kittila mine in Finland". Mining.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  5. ^ Chen, Jianping; Li, Ke; Chang, Kuo-Jen; Sofia, Giulia; Tarolli, Paolo (2015-10-01). "Open-pit mining geomorphic feature characterisation". International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. 42: 76–86. doi:10.1016/j.jag.2015.05.001. hdl:11577/3159353. ISSN 0303-2434.