Extraction costs of mines

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  • Extraction Costs
    • Overburden
      • 1). rock above mineral that must be removed
      • 2). if overburden is very hard it is expensive to remove as it may need to be blasted
    • Depth
      • 1). mining costs rise rapidly as depth increases
      • 2). if depth doubles, price is doubled
      • 3). sides of mine cannot be vertical or mine ill collapse = more extraction cost as depth increases
      • 4). if overburden is loose then gradient must be more gentle increasing extraction costs further
    • Form of deposit
      • 1). mining costs will increase if mineral is found in thin layers or dispersed in irregular shaped deposit
      • 2). both of these problems would increase size of mine void needed to be excavated
    • Hydrology
      • 1). as depth increase amount of water that flows into mine also rises
      • 2). pumping costs can be high

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