Editing Mining (section)

===Modernity===
[[File:View showing miners’ clothes.jpg|thumb|View showing miners' clothes suspended by pulleys, also wash basins and ventilation system, Kirkland Lake, Ontario, 1936]]
In the early 20th century, the gold and silver rush to the western United States also stimulated mining for coal as well as [[base metal]]s such as copper, lead, and iron. Areas in modern Montana, Utah, Arizona, and later Alaska became predominant suppliers of copper to the world, which was increasingly demanding copper for electrical and household goods.<ref name=miller>Miller C. (2013). ''Atlas of US and Canadian Environmental History'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=QD0LTYaBjKEC&pg=PA65 p. 64] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928225836/https://books.google.com/books?id=QD0LTYaBjKEC&pg=PA65 |date=2023-09-28 }}. ''Taylor & Francis''.</ref> Canada's mining industry grew more slowly than did the United States due to limitations in transportation, capital, and U.S. competition; Ontario was the major producer of the early 20th century with nickel, copper, and gold.<ref name=miller/>

Meanwhile, Australia experienced the [[Australian gold rushes]] and by the 1850s was producing 40% of the world's gold, followed by the establishment of large mines such as the [[Mount Morgan Mine]], which ran for nearly a hundred years, [[Broken Hill ore deposit]] (one of the largest zinc-lead ore deposits), and the iron ore mines at [[Iron Knob]]. After declines in production, another boom in mining occurred in the 1960s. In the early 21st century, Australia remains a major world mineral producer.<ref>[http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/history/index.html#1900 History of Australia's Minerals Industry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711145023/http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/history/index.html#1900 |date=2017-07-11 }}. Australian Atlas of Minerals Processing, Mines, and & Processing Centres.</ref>

As the 21st century begins, a globalized [[#Industry|mining industry]] of large multinational corporations has arisen. [[Peak minerals]] and [[#Environmental effects|environmental impacts]] have also become a concern. Different elements, particularly [[rare-earth mineral]]s, have begun to increase in demand as a result of new technologies.<ref name="Geosciences LibreTexts-2017"/>

In 2023, 8.5 billion metric tons of coal were extracted from the Earth's crust. However, as the global economy transitions away from fossil fuels and toward a more sustainable future, the demand for metals is set to skyrocket. Between 2022 and 2050, an estimated 7 billion metric tons of metals will need to be extracted. Steel will account for the largest portion of this total at 5 billion tons, followed by aluminum at 950 million tons, copper at 650 million tons, graphite at 170 million tons, nickel at 100 million tons, and other metals. Notably, the energy expenditure required to extract these metals will soon surpass that of coal mining, highlighting the growing importance of sustainable metal extraction practices.<ref>{{cite web | last=Rathi | first=Akshat | title=Net Zero Needs More Metals, But Less Extraction From the Earth | website=Bloomberg.com | date=2024-09-10 | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-10/net-zero-needs-more-metals-but-less-extraction-from-the-earth | access-date=2024-09-15}}</ref>