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> Clever. It can do this because it travels uphill empty and comes downhill full. Admitting up front I know very little about mining: Aren't most mines operati
by FussyZeus 9y ago
> Clever. It can do this because it travels uphill empty and comes downhill full.
Admitting up front I know very little about mining: Aren't most mines operating today of the strip variety? I.e. a big damn hole? My mental picture of the places most of these trucks operate is where they drive into the hole empty and come back out full, uphill. Am I wrong?
- hwillis 9y agoYes, according to wikipedia 85% of minerals and 98% of metal ore is produced by surface mining. Surface mining is above 300 m deep, and usually above 100 m. This includes mountaintop removal and highwall mining, which are still basically underground. Strip and pit mining are the other main types of surface mining. Even so this type of mining tends to happen in mountainous areas. Mountains are places where minerals are pushing up from deeper areas, and they're subject to more erosion, so you find a lot of valuable minerals. They are also colocated with seams, which are chock-full of minerals. Valleys and low spots are places where sediment accumulates and covers minerals, and are rarely worth mining. The altitude of a mine is usually much, much greater than the relatively negligible depth of the mine itself.
- FussyZeus 9y agoAh so it wouldn't be the mine itself that would be the uphill/downhill discussed, it's moreso the route from the mine to where the ore is processed. I got it now, thanks.