Mining - Simple English Wikipedia

# Mining

### From Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia written in simple English for easy reading.

Mining is the taking out of things from the ground. Any material that cannot be grown must be mined. Mining things from the ground is called extraction. Mining can include extraction of metals and minerals, like coal, gold, silver, platinum, copper, and iron. Mining can also include other things like oil and natural gas.

Some mining is done by scraping away the soil (dirt) from the top of the ground. This is called strip mining. Some mining is done by going deep underground into a mine shaft. Some mining, such as gold mining, is done in other ways. Gold can be mined by searching in the bed of a creek or other stream of water to remove the flakes of gold. This is called panning or placer mining.

Mining is the only way to extract coal, a vital source of energy. These mines can be strip mines, or they can be hundreds of feet in the ground.

Underground mining is a dangerous job. Many coal and copper mines have accidents. Several coal miners die every year from accidents. Safety rules and special safety equipment is used to try and protect miners from accidents.

### [edit] Mercury

Mercury (element) comes from mining from underground. It is an elemental liquid in which can poison the water in our lakes, ponds, and even oceans!

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