Deposits, quarries and mines

Extraction of sand and gravel

Extraction of sand and gravel

Extraction of sand and gravel

Extraction of sand and gravel

Carrara marble

Carrara marble

Marble quarry on the Apuan Alps

Marble quarry on the Apuan Alps

Bauxite quarry

Bauxite quarry

Tunnel in a mine

Tunnel in a mine

Mining area in the Amazon

Mining area in the Amazon

Open pit copper mine

Open pit copper mine

By mineral deposit we mean those areas where minerals and rocks are extracted to be later used by men. It is necessary to specify that, from a formal point of view, we can talk about mineral deposits only if the quantity and quality of rocks and minerals allow men to economically exploit the resource. All the resources of the subsoil have the characteristic that they can be depleted in a more or less short period of time. Therefore also rocks and minerals cannot be extracted infinitely by man. And also for these, as in the case of energy, the recommendation is to use them in a cautious, efficient manner, without waste and specially, wherever possible,  incentivizing material recycling.