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Question

Difficulty: EasyMineral Resources and Mining in Africa

What is the correct sequential order of the basic operational stages involved in open-cast (surface) mineral mining in Africa, from the initial step to the final step?

  1. 1Clearing topsoil and removing overburden to expose the underlying mineral deposit
  2. 2Drilling and blasting the solid rock face to break the mineral deposit into smaller fragments
  3. 3Excavation and loading of the broken mineral ore into heavy haul trucks
  4. 4Transporting the raw ore out of the mining pit to the processing plant for crushing and refining

Answer

The correct sequence of open-cast mining stages begins with clearing topsoil and removing overburden, followed by drilling and blasting the rock face, then excavating and loading the broken ore, and finally transporting the raw ore to the processing plant.
In open-cast surface mining, operations logically follow a sequence beginning with land clearance and overburden removal to reach the deposit, followed by drilling and blasting to shatter the hard rock, loading the fragmented ore onto haulers, and finally transporting the raw ore to processing facilities.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the preliminary land surface preparation step
Clearing topsoil and overburden removal comes first.
Unwanted vegetation, topsoil, and waste rock layers must be stripped away before the target mineral layer can be accessed.
2
Determine the step required to fragment solid mineral deposits
Drilling and blasting comes second.
Extracted rock faces in open pit mines are solid and must be fractured into smaller pieces using explosives before mechanical equipment can move them.
3
Identify the material handling step inside the excavation pit
Excavation and loading comes third.
Heavy machinery loads the shattered ore pieces into dump trucks or onto conveyor belts.
4
Determine the final movement of the extracted mineral
Transporting to the processing plant comes fourth.
The loaded raw ore is moved out of the pit to refineries or mills for refining and mineral concentration.

Key Concept

Operational stages of open-cast (surface) mining
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Topics

Mineral Resources and Mining in Africa

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