The resources are goods or raw materials which have a certain value relative to a target. In this way, a resource can satisfy particular needs or subsist. A mineral, on the other hand, is an inorganic material found in the earth's crust.
The mineral resources ultimately consist of those minerals that are exploited for any purpose. The industry dedicated to the extraction and processing of mineral resources is called mining.
Mining has existed since prehistoric times since man very early discovered the importance of minerals for the performance of various activities. The relevance of mineral resources in our evolution lies in the fact that they enable the satisfaction of a large number of needs and generate, in turn, valuable economic resources.
Regarding its classification, it is carried out taking into account its economic value and its geological certainty. Broadly speaking, it is possible to distinguish between the following groups:
* mineral occurrences: they are not always of interest at an economic level, although they can be at a geological level;
* Mining resources: they present a certain potential with respect to their economic value, for which they are usually extracted;
* Mineral reserves: they are also known as ore reserves (it is a mineral that can be extracted from a chemical element, usually a metal) and its extraction is beneficial, as well as legal and technically feasible.
Within the group of mining resources, in turn, it is possible to distinguish between resources:
* proven: are those mineral occurrences that are economically important and of which samples have been obtained in trenches, wells, outcrops or boreholes, for example, to a point where it is possible to make a fairly reliable estimate of its grade, metal content, tonnage, shape, as well as its physical characteristics and densities;
* measured: these are proven resources that have been sampled to be declared an acceptable estimate . In other words, a competent person, a concept that in this context and according to mining regulations usually refers to a geology professional, performs a second sampling to verify the properties previously analyzed.
The exploitation of mineral resources, however, can have negative effects. When mining is not controlled efficiently, it is an activity capable of causing great damage to the planet, polluting it.
This means that, even though mining is the main source of wealth in many cities and countries, there are groups that oppose this activity because of its risks. The extraction of mineral resources can pollute the water, destroy mountain ranges or lead to the disappearance of a forest, for example.
Those who work in the mines to extract mineral resources, on the other hand, tend to work in unsanitary conditions and are forced to face dangerous situations on a daily basis because they work, many times, underground.
Broadly speaking, the following types of risks are recognized in mining: physical, which include traumatic injuries, deafness, skin cancer and the consequences of high barometric pressure, humidity and heat, typical of this work; chemicals, given exposure to coal dust, asbestos, crystalline silica, diesel particulates, and gases such as carbon dioxide and methane; biological, with infectious agents such as the tubercle bacillus and legionella; ergonomic, since even today many of the tasks are manual and repetitive, which can overload the muscles; psychosocial, since the terrible working conditions lead to different mental disorders.