Mineral Information

Mining is a basic industry – vital to our economy. Literally, everything in our lives is either grown or mined. Contrary to popular notion, the "stuff" of our lives does not come from WalMart and Target. Likewise, electricity does not come from the socket. The materials in our society and the energy that drives our world originate in the earth. Picture the mining industry extracting a new bicycle or computer for you. Picture a coal mine delivering the electricity to your home. Most of the components for most items and energy sources in our lives come from the earth and are delivered to you by today's modern mining industry.

Each day, each American utilizes or consumes over 125 pounds of mined materials..over 45,000 pounds annually! Fortunately, our society has also developed increasingly efficient means of recycling materials into other uses. However, there are relatively few items that can be completely recycled. So a strong and technologically advancing mining industry is vital to support our needs. Select "Minerals at Work" to learn more.

Most Americans still carry the images of mining of the 1800's as their view of modern mining. That period certainly was a key time in our history and mining played a very significant role in settlement, development, industrialization and protection. However, today's mining industry is both a high tech industry and a guardian of our natural resources, employing more engineers and environmental scientists as a percentage than most any other industry. Select "Stewards of the Environment" to learn more.

The mining industry today also leads the way in safety..as one of the top five safest industries as scored by OSHA and MSHA. A modern mine is regulated by a layering of local, state and federal agencies. A typical mine must secure many permits from those various agencies; permits that are only granted to operations with well defined and scientifically and socially acceptable plans for it's mining and reclamation activities. The mining industry supports approximately 350,000 jobs in the U.S. and contributes over $49 billion to the economy. More importantly, however, it supports each and every family with the lifestyles they seek, while wisely using and protecting our nation's resources.

We welcome you to this very important segment of our website and hope that you learn interesting new insights into the important role that minerals play in your life. Take advantage of the materials and links to learn even more! Our goal is that you begin to understand that today's mining industry is critical in our lives because "EVERYTHING IS EITHER GROWN OR MINED". Select "Educational Resources" and "Did you Know" to learn more.