Mining

Part A

Shaft Mining

Shaft mining is the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. 

Pros: Allows the land above the mining zone to be reclaimed for other uses, allows the mining operation to be hidden and you can mine deeper.

Cons: Pillars need to be left in place to safeguard, it is very expensive to conduct and it can only remove a portion of the mineral present.

Strip Mining

Surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the Earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow.

Pros: Easier access to minerals, easier to transport minerals to the destination and there are less hazards compared to shaft mining. 

Cons: A lot more fuel is burned, blasting is required making it hazard and any open pit mining operation eliminates any biological life form at the surface.

Part B

Spouse of a miner: Strip mining as it is less dangerous than shaft mining. 

Owner of a mining company: Strip mining as it is less expensive than shaft mining.

Environmentalist: Shaft mining because strip mining is worse for the environment as any open pit mining operation eliminates any biological life form at the surface.

Owner of a nearby ski resorts: Shaft mining because it allows the land above the mining zone to be open and available for other use.

Politician: Shaft mining because it allows more minerals to be extracted in less amount time compared to that of strip mining.

Part C

Shaft mining is a major industry in the UAE as oil is the foundation of the UAE's economy. The discovery of oil reserves has transformed the UAE into a developed, high standard living country. The UAE is the eighth largest producer of crude oil in the world and the seventh largest producer of natural gas.