MINING AND QUARRYING

Mining and quarrying include the extraction of minerals occurring naturally as solids (coal and ores), liquids (petroleum) or gases (natural gas), from mines, seabed, and the extraction of salt from sea water, brine, and other saline waters. Extraction can be achieved by different methods such as underground or surface mining, well operation, seabed mining etc. This section includes supplementary activities aimed at preparing the crude materials for marketing, for example, crushing, grinding, cleaning, drying, sorting, beneficiation and concentration of ores and liquefaction of natural gas. Mining activities are classified on the basis of the principal mineral produced. Some of the technical operations of this section, particularly related to the extraction of hydrocarbons, may also be carried out for third parties by specialised units as an industrial service which is reflected in division 09 'Service activities incidental to oil and gas extraction'.