The mining industry extracts naturally occurring mineral solids such as coal and ores, liquid minerals such as crude petroleum, and gases such as natural gas.
Mining activities include underground or open cut mining, dredging, quarrying, well operations or evaporation pans, recovery from ore dumps or tailings as well as beneficiation activities (i.e. preparing, including crushing, screening, washing and flotation). Other preparation work is customarily performed at the mine site and as a part of mining activity.