Open-pit mining is a surface mining technique used to extract minerals or rocks from the earth from an open-air pit or borrow/12%3A_Geological_Implications/12.10%3A_Open-Pit_Mining). It is the most common method used throughout the world for mineral mining and does not require extractive methods or tunnels. Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful minerals or rocks are found near the surface, where the overburden is relatively thin or the material of interest is structurally unsuitable for tunnelling/12%3A_Geological_Implications/12.10%3A_Open-Pit_Mining).

The process of open-pit mining involves digging on benches that are between four and sixty meters in size, depending on the size of machinery used to excavate. The walls of most open-pit mines are dug at an angle and include steps to prevent avalanches from occurring inside the build site. The incline section of the wall is called the ‘batter,’ and the flat part of the step is called the ‘bench’ or ‘berm’ .

Open-pit mining causes significant effects to miners health, as well as damage to the ecological land and water. It causes changes to vegetation, soil, and bedrock, which ultimately contributes to changes in surface hydrology, groundwater levels, and flow paths. Additionally, open-pit produces harmful pollutants depending on the type of mineral being mined and the type of mining process being used.

After the physical mine infrastructure has been built, production activities include drilling, blasting, excavation, loading, and transporting broken ore. Then, the waste dump is covered with soil, vegetation is planted, and the area is fenced to prevent livestock from eating the newly planted vegetation.

In summary, open-pit mining is a common method to extract minerals and samples from the Earth. It is cost-effective and used all over the world, but it also has significant negative impacts on the environment and human health/12%3A_Geological_Implications/12.10%3A_Open-Pit_Mining).