Originated over 110,000 years ago, mining is one of the oldest industries known to mankind. Long before the advent of agriculture, the invention of the wheel, and the first written language, early humans were already extracting cobbles of chert to create tools like knives, scrapers, and arrowheads. Soon after, they began mining hematite to produce ochre, which was used in rituals and for creating petroglyphs.
Over the millennia, mining technology gradually advanced from simple surface mining to more complex underground techniques. Following the Industrial Revolution, the 20th century saw the rapid development of new mining technologies—roughly one every decade. To visualize this evolution, a simple infographic timeline would be useful.
However, plotting 100,000 years on a single page presents a challenge: each century would occupy only a few millimeters. The exponential growth of mining technology during the Industrial Revolution means that only a handful of the oldest mining methods would fit at the left of the diagram, while dozens of newer technologies would cluster together at the timeline’s edge, almost at the same point.
To overcome this, a logarithmic scale is used, compressing the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages while stretching the modern era. This approach not only allowed for the accurate chronological placement of major mining technologies but also clearly illustrate the dynamic development of the industry. This article will appeal to a broad audience, from scholars to industry professionals.
Here's the link to the PDF article:
THE FIRST 100-THOUSAND YEARS OF MINING - A Timeline of Commercial Mining Methods
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