The occurrence of minerals does not guarantee their exploitation. Many factors must be considered before actual mining begins, some of them are listed below:
1 Value of the mineral: a mineral is not worth mining unless it has a high commercial market value. Minerals like gold, diamond, copper and uranium are often mined at very high cost, but their value and profitability are just as high.
2 size and grade of the deposits: unless the deposits are of reasonable size and high grade, it might not be worthwhile investing in expensive equipment and basic infrastructure to undertake the mining.
3 Mode of occurrence: if the deposits occur too deep in the earth's crust or in many remote places such as in the ocean, the cost of extraction may be too high.
4 Transport costs: minerals occurring in remote, sparsely populated regions, away from the urban and industrial markets, may not be worth mining as the cost of constructing transport networks might outweigh the profit derived.
5 Labor supply: workers must be available if any mining is to be undertaken, if amine is located in a distant place, it will be very difficult to secure a reasonable supply of workers and site engineers.
1 Value of the mineral: a mineral is not worth mining unless it has a high commercial market value. Minerals like gold, diamond, copper and uranium are often mined at very high cost, but their value and profitability are just as high.
2 size and grade of the deposits: unless the deposits are of reasonable size and high grade, it might not be worthwhile investing in expensive equipment and basic infrastructure to undertake the mining.
3 Mode of occurrence: if the deposits occur too deep in the earth's crust or in many remote places such as in the ocean, the cost of extraction may be too high.
4 Transport costs: minerals occurring in remote, sparsely populated regions, away from the urban and industrial markets, may not be worth mining as the cost of constructing transport networks might outweigh the profit derived.
5 Labor supply: workers must be available if any mining is to be undertaken, if amine is located in a distant place, it will be very difficult to secure a reasonable supply of workers and site engineers.