Human Exposure to Minerals

At the dawn of history, primitive man learned to use rough-cut stones as primitive tools and weapons.

Initially, our ancestors found pieces of different rocks on the surface of the earth. Then, discovering useful properties of natural stones, people began to purposefully search for a certain material.

At the same time, people first began to extract the necessary stones from other materials – they thus laid the foundation for resource development and mining.

Ancient workings resembled a deep well, the walls of which were equipped with stone steps.

Today, mine is a large enterprise with technological equipment and automated control systems. Modern working may be several tens of kilometers long.

Ancient Mine	Modern Mine

Age of Metal

With the development of copper and bronze, mankind needed more advanced mining methods, opening up access to deep-seated ore formations. About 3,000 years ago, man learned how to produce iron and mastered surface hardening, which increases metal hardness.

The use of iron in everyday life gave impetus to the improvement of mining.

Initially, ore was mined by the open method, but then, to develop the deep deposits, mines with the depth of up to 120 m began to be developed. Ladders were mounted into the walls of the working for descent and ascent. It took so much strength to get into the mine or to the surface that the workers sometimes had to stay underground for months.

Nowadays employees are transported to the mine by special elevators.

Ladders mounted in the walls of the shaft	Cage – a lifting mechanism in a modern mine

Blasting Operations

Developing over time, metallurgy demanded larger extraction volume of coal, iron ore, and other minerals. New tools were added to the workers' arsenal, and the workings became deeper.

The use of explosives and dynamite simplified the miners’ work and allowed the industry to reach a new level.

Blasting operations in an ancient mine	Dynamite in a mine

Mine Flooding and Solution to the Problem

The deeper a person went underground, the harder it got, as underground water flooded the mines. Of course, a bucket and rope did not help in coping with the flooding – miners had to work in cold water. That kind of work was one of the hardest.

The first relatively effective way to remove water from the mine is to use a device called a chain-bucket elevator. Chain-bucket elevator is a water lifting mechanism. The bucket chain was operated by a man running in a big drum that resembled a squirrel wheel. Later, the mechanism was activated by animal power. The device made it possible to dredge water from a depth of up to 20 m.

Piston pumps made a small revolution in mining – thanks to them, miners had access to deeper deposits of ore and coal.

Chain-bucket elevator – a water lifting mechanism	Modern drainage system

In the 17th century, mining operations became even deeper, and increasing production volumes led to the introduction of fossil-powered cars and trailers into the extraction process. Before that, the trucks with rocks were dragged by ‘drawers.’

In the 19th century, drawers were replaced by horses. The workers who drove the animals were called ‘pony putters.’ Horses in a mine recognized the owner by the sound of their voice. It took the animals long to get used to the worker's voice – that's why pony putters preferred to work with the same horse.

A pony putter in a mine	Modern mine vehicles

Firedamp Explosions

Throughout the history of the mining industry, mine gas has been one of the most serious problems in coal mines. Methane mixed with oxygen often exploded and was a mortal danger for miners. In addition to gas, coal dust was also explosive.

The very first method of checking a working for gas contamination was the descent into the mine with a canary in a cage. The bird’s death indicated a dangerous concentration of mine and carbon monoxide gas in the mine.

Today, workers check the purity of the air with the help of gas analyzers – both stationary and individual. The helmets of modern miners are equipped with detectors analyzing the air and transmitting information about its condition.

Mine Lighting

By the middle of the 18th century, a ‘pinwheel cap’ appeared in English workings – a source of bright sparks. Structurally, the device consisted of a steel disk, which stroke sparks from a flint during rapid rotation. This method of lighting replaced the open flame from torches or candles. For some reason, miners found sparks safer, although they also provoked explosions.

In 1815, English physicist Humphry Davy invented his famous lamp. Davy lamp was designed in such a way that a dangerous mixture of methane with air that entered the lamp was ignited inside the device, and the fire did not spread beyond the lamp.

Davy's lamp was the forerunner of gas analyzers — the miners brought the lamp to the mine arch in order to determine the size of the flame and the presence of an explosive mixture in the atmosphere.

Davy's lamp	Helmet with individual mining lantern

Mining and Science

At the time of early capitalism, the owners of mines did not take into account miners’ harsh working conditions. In many mines, the temperature rose to 34 ° C. In such conditions, the miner could work for about 20 minutes. For owners of workings, it became obvious that the inability of a person to work for a long time at this temperature directly affected the income of the enterprise. This prompted them to start investing in ventilation systems.

In 1898, Russian scientist B. I. Boyky improved the technology of coal mining by introducing a ventilation system consisting of several fans. The specialist’s innovations significantly improved the working conditions of the miners.

Ventilation system in a modern mine

For many centuries, workers in mines chopped coal with a pick and a pickaxe in tight cut pits. Most often, they had to work lying or sitting. But in the second half of the 19th century, together with the unprecedented rise of industry, technical equipment changed a lot. Miners began to use drills, thanks to which it was possible to carry out roadway construction at a depth of 200-300 m.

But the drill and jackhammer replaced the pick and the pickaxe

With the invention of electric motor and the beginning of its industrial use, the electrification of the mines began. Today, electric motors are part of the lift-hoist lifting mechanisms, pumps, and fans. With the help of drills driven by electric motors, holes for the placement of explosives are made. Explosives are detonated with an electric fuse. Electric light has become a completely safe alternative to the old methods of lighting. Electricity has turned workings into technological enterprises.

The 21st century mine is a gigantic combine underground.

Roadways are laid with powerful tunneling machines. Coal removal is fully mechanized. On trucks, rocks reach skipway, sending cargo up to shipping bunkers. The cut pit is illuminated with electric light; the cutting-edge machines produce cuttings in massive rock strata. Air breakers crack, conveyor belts transport coal. Elevators cages deliver miners to the bottom. Above the mine, there are compressor stations, power stations, air supply systems, mining and processing plants, and railway infrastructure.

The work of a miner, which has been extremely difficult and risky from time immemorial, has today become largely automated. We use all the achievements of mining science, making the work of miners comfortable and as safe as possible.