What is Mining & Minerals Engineering?
Mining and minerals engineering is a discipline involving the practice, theories and science of extracting and processing minerals which occur naturally in the environment. Mining and minerals engineering is one of the oldest industries in human civilization and today is present in almost every facet of modern society—from the copper wires used in electronics, to materials needed in road and urban construction, to basic energy resources such as coal and natural gas. In fact, each American will use over three and half million tons of mining and minerals related products in his or her lifetime. In order to meet the nation’s energy and mineral needs, mining engineers find themselves actively involved in progressive field engineering, using state of the art technologies backed up by sound environmental practices. Mining engineers pursue a wide range of specialties, some of which include geological exploration, mineral economics, metallurgy, processing, facility engineering and design, and
