Subject Matter

Discover how the subjects that you study are used in a real life industry!

Mathematics

Mathematics underpins almost everything in the extractive industry! Mathematics is required in every engineering calculation, from using trigonometry in the initial site survey, blast design, to using geostatistics to analyse mineral reserves.

Physics

Physics is behind almost every operation during extractive site workings! Physics is vital for the safety of employees working on site, such as mine ventilation (applied fluid mechanics) and rock engineering to prevent instability (applied mechanics), and physics is also behind all operations including electrical systems and mechanical machinery.

Chemistry

Knowledge of chemistry is vital in the extractive industry to understand the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of elements and compounds, for exploration techniques, methods of extraction, the processing of minerals, quality control, and use of the raw material.

Geography

Geography provides an all round knowledge for the extractive industry, from understanding ecological and geological processes, environmental impacts resulting from resources extraction, and sustainable resource use, to understanding population growth and resource use, economic benefits of geomorphological processes, and rural planning issues.

Geology

Geology is at the heart of the extractive industry, which can actually be thought of as a form of economic geology. Geological processes provide us with the raw materials we all depend upon and geologists play an integral role in exploration (geophysical and geochemical methods), extraction and engineering of the raw materials.

Environmental Science

Environmental science is of particular relevance to the extractive industry, as a study of the physical, chemical and biological conditions of the Earths environment and the relationship of human activities upon them.

Extractive industry environmental scientists work with the latest technology and knowedge to ensure that impacts resulting from the extraction activities do not have a lasting negative effect upon the environment.

Biology

Today's extractive industry depends upon biological and ecological knowledge for the planning process, which includes strict biologial and ecological guidelines including undertaking environmental assessments, and for the restoration of dormant extraction sites.

Biological and ecological knowledge enables the extractive industry to operate its sites with minimal impacts on the biology and ecology of the immediate and surrounding areas, and very often results in restored extraction sites being more beneficial to wildlife than the previous land use.

Required biology and ecology includes knowledge of species adaptations to survive in particular environmental conditions, ecosystem dynamics, the succession process, the ecological impacts of human activity, and conservation principles – conservation of rare species and preservation of sites of special scientific interest.