Mining

Title: Description of the Two Mining Processes
Type: Book
Date: 1930
Source: George R. Bailey

Description: This description comes from a book called The Red Mesabi, a novel that dealt with the Mesabi Iron Range.
Read Transcription

Activities:

1. How is open pit mining done?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Steam shovels are used to scoop ore directly out of the ground and load it onto trains.
2. If open pit mining is cheaper, why would they sometimes choose to use underground mining instead?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Sometimes there is so much dirt and rock between the surface and the ore deposits that it is cheaper to dig an underground tunnel to the ore.
3. How do miners get to the ore underground?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: They dig a tunnel called a shaft downward, then dig more tunnels out to where the ore is.
4. How might your trust of this source be affected by knowing that it came from a fiction novel?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Since fictional stories are made up, it would be a good idea to compare this source to other ones. However, this description appears to be factual, thorough and accurate.