This is a travel topic that deals with all man-made structures under and above ground whose primary purpose is or was the extraction of natural resources as well as their remains, associated culture and small scale resource gathering such as gold panning from rivers and creeks.

Understand

Inside Falun copper mine

Humans have dug more or less elaborate holes in the ground in order to extract resources since time immemorial. The oldest things archaeologists currently interpret as mines were found in modern day Egypt and were used to extract flint-stone some 30 000 years before the present day. Since than both the need for resources and the technology with which to extract them have experienced tremendous development. Modern day open pit mines have transformed whole landscapes and once they are done removing all the desirable resources, they often leave man made lakes and ponds that can become a source of economic activity and tourism in themselves. While some active mines can be visited, most mines are closed to the general public with only a small visitor center if anything. However, some former mines have been converted into tourist attractions and you can learn a lot about the history of the region or of mining in general by taking a guided tour.

Some towns own their very existence or at least their current size to mining, be it Kiruna and Falun in Sweden, Norilsk in Russia or continued human presence on Svalbard. On the other hand many former mining communities are deserted once resources run out and bustling cities can become ghost towns overnight. In some cases a mine itself is the reason for the abandonment of settlements, either to make room for open pit mining or due too environmental damage through mining.

Mining has also added its own rich character to the cultural heritage of many regions, from the vocal imagery of the powerful folk ballad to the literary works recording old miners myths.

Mining and the associated culture - especially in the context of coal and steel - have also influenced things as seemingly unrelated or trivial as the (nick)names of sports teams. Many areas - especially in high income countries - that used to depend on mining have since entered a decline and despite efforts to diversify the economy, many of those areas have become "rust belts". That said, people are often immensely proud on the mining heritage of their region and some even continue to live those traditions after having moved elsewhere for a job.

Open pit versus shafts and tunnels

Modern mining often involves open pits created by huge machines. Older mines dug by hand often involve deep shafts and adits (long narrow corridors) underground. For instance the silver mines at Kongsberg has the deepest point 1,000 meters below the surface (several hundred meters below sea level). The intensive 1600s mining at Falun eventually resulted in a collapse of the underground sections, leaving a 100 meter deep and 1 km wide crater. A major problem in (almost) all mining operations is water. In open pit mines groundwater has to be lowered, sometimes hundreds of meters, leading to ground movements that are still not entirely understood and that have in the past damaged houses and other structures several kilometers away from the mine. Once the mining is concluded the rising groundwater also results in ground movements, which may further endanger property. In underground mines, water has to be pumped out and of course this water has to go somewhere. In some cases it is simply pumped into abandoned shafts, but elsewhere ponds have been created just from surplus mine water.

See

Australia

Every state of Australia has a mining history, and in most states there are former mining sites that are considered vital heritage locations, as well as current active locations that have facilities for visitors and tourists to visit and view.

South Australia

• 1 Coober Pedy. An opal mining town in the South AustralianOutback that is almost fully underground, as this is the only way to ensure human habitation in the harsh climate. (updated Dec 2015)

Western Australia

• Kalgoorlie Super Pit. The Kalgoorlie Super Pit in Western Australia is one vast open pit that is visitable by guided tours (updated Dec 2015)

Canada

Museum entrance, Springhill

• Springhill Miners' Museum. Springhill, Nova Scotia, was the site of a large coal mine active from the 19th century until 1958. It was shut down after an explosion in 1956 killed 39 and a 'bump' (underground earthquake) in 1958 killed 75. Today the museum offers underground tours. There is a song The Ballad of Springhill, about the 1958 disaster, which has been recorded or performed by many artists including Peter, Paul & Mary, U2, and husband/wife duo Ewen MacColl and Peggy Seeger. 
• Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. The small coal-mining town of Frank in the Crowsnest Pass region of what is now Alberta had 82 million metric tons of rock come crashing down on it in 1903. Turtle Mountain, above the town, had unstable geology to begin with and had been made more unstable by extensive mining. This was Canada's deadliest rockslide ever, killing 90, but fortunately it missed much of the town. 

Finland

• 2 Tytyri Mining Museum, ☏ +358 44 369 1309. The calcite mine in Tytyri near Lohja is also open to visitors by guided tour (other languages than Finnish need to be pre-booked). Minibuses take visitors 100m underground where also a museum exhibiting the history of the mine is located. adults €14, children €8. (updated Dec 2015)

Germany

• 3 Precious Stone Mine Steinkaulenberg (Edelsteinminen Steinkaulenberg), Tiefensteiner Str. 87, Idar-Oberstein, ☏ +49 6781 901918. 
• The whole Ruhr area was associated with coal and steel for over a century. While most mines are closed by now, you can still see impressive remains like the UNESCO world heritage Zeche Zollverein , sites that bring to live the "pulse of steel" a famous German song ascribes to Bochum and hence the whole area.

See also Industrial Heritage Trail.

Norway

• 4 White Caves (Kvite grotter), Gudvangen (Road E6). Abandoned mines open to public during summer. The white stone is anorthosite and exists in greater quantity at Gudvangen than anywhere else. Fee. (updated Dec 2015)
• 5 Silvermines at Kongsberg (Sølvgruvene på Kongsberg), Kongsberg. A train brings the visitors 2300 metres in. More than 300 years of silver mining has left a web of some 1000 km of tunnels, and 300 shafts of which the deepest is 1000 m. The mines cover an area of 30 square km. More than 1 million kilograms of pure silver were extracted. Fee. 
• 6 Røros mining town (Røros by og kopperverk), Røros, Trøndelag. The Røros copper mines were in operation for 333 years. Røros was one of two privileged mining towns (Kongsberg the other). Røros still retain the style from the time when it developed. The unusual church dominates the skyline. The town and the mines is a UNESCO heritage site. (updated Dec 2015)
• Limestone mines at Eide, Eide near Molde. Abandoned limestone/marble mines can be visited by groups. A wide hall with stage and seating. Access by boat across small pond. Temperature constant 6 C. (updated Dec 2015)
• 7 Cobalt color mines (Blaafarveverket i Modum), Drammen, Buskerud county. Blaafarveværke began operations in the 1770s. The works mined cobalt ore and manufactured blue cobalt glass (smalt) and cobalt blue (cobalt aluminate) pigment. In its heyday supplied 80 percent of the world market for cobalt pigments. Open for visitors. Buildings are also used for art exhibitions. Fee: Yes. (updated Aug 2015)

Poland

• Wieliczka Salt Mine, Wieliczka. Continuously in production between the 13th century and 2007, which makes it one of the oldest enterprises in the world that until recently was still in operation, this mine is famous for its many statues and chapels carved out of rock salt by the miners. (updated Dec 2015)

South Africa

• Kimberley Mine. A former open-pit and underground diamond mine, operating from 1871-1914. The open pit, also known as the Big Hole, is notable for being the largest hole in the ground excavated without machinery. There's a museum on site as well. (updated Dec 2015)

Sweden

Mining museum in Falun

• 8 Falu Gruva (Falun Mine), Falun, Dalarna. The Falun copper mine operated for around 1000 years until 1992. It was for centuries the largest copper mine in Europe and supplied about 70 % of all copper need in Europe. During some periods 70 % of the world's copper was produced there. Several thousand shaft were dug. The mining company is possibly the oldest business enterprise in the world. Now museum open to the public. The mines and the town is a UNESCO world heritage site. (updated Dec 2015)

United Kingdom

See also: Industrial Britain

• Grime's Graves - Extensive neolithic flint extraction. Nearest town - Barton, Suffolk

Wales

• LLechwed Slate Caverns, Blanaeu Festiniog - This museum and underground tour, gives a a view of the North Wales Slate Industry.
• 9 Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Pumsaint, Llanwrda, Carmarthenshire, SA19 8US (on A482), dolaucothi@nationaltrust.org.uk. A wooded hillside, leading to the entrance of gold mines that were in use from the Roman period, up until the early 20th Century. Guided tours. Phone before arrival to confirm opening times. (updated Dec 2015)
• 10 Big Pit National Coal Museum, Big Pit National Coal Museum Blaenafon, Torfaen NP4 9XP, ☏ +49 29 2057 3650, 0300 111 2 333 (local call)NOCC, bigpit@museumwales.ac.uk. A former colliery site, re-opened for learning and heratige exploration.

  As well as the extensive surface buildings, a 90 min, guide led tour takes you underground to what was a literal 'coalface' of an entire energy industry, Stout footwear is recommended. (updated Dec 2015)

• 11 Silvermountain experience, Ponterwyd. Mine tour plus. 

United States

• The Industrialization of the United States was built on coal and steel. Most of what is now the "rust belt" was active in mining coal and the various ores needed to transform an agrarian backwater into the leading industrial power of the world.

Do

One of the more obvious things often offered to tourists is gold panning, especially in areas where it has a tradition, like those invoking the old west. While the gold is by no means gone from the rivers and creeks of this world and some people actually believe to be able to make a living by gold panning, chances are that the gold you find (if any) when searching for it in any river is not enough to pay for a first world lifestyle. However, gold panning is still practiced in low income countries as an additional or only source of income.

Talk

In many areas that have a long mining tradition a whole range of mining related terms have been coined and in some cases entered the general vocabulary. They can be confusing even to native speakers of the respective languages

Stay safe

If you are on a guided tour at a mining site, stay with the tour. Don't drift away or get diverted. Mining is a hazardous industry, and if the tour is accredited and official, they will have specific guidelines of what not to do. Take careful note, and follow the rules.