ABSTRACT
With increasing demand for energy, the mix of energy resources is evolving with time. Minerals, namely coal and uranium, has been a part of this mix for a long time. This chapter introduces these two minerals, discussing their geology, process of mineralization, and their exploration and mining. These two minerals are very different to each other in terms of their underlying geology. The gradual process of coalification results in different grades of coal which give rise to a coal-ranking system. Mineralization of uranium-bearing minerals and its geological assessment is very different and so is its mining. Both coal and uranium-bearing minerals are mined but uranium can also be extracted using in situ leaching. Supply and demand of these commodities, their exploration and extraction methods are included in this chapter. A discussion of exploration techniques and their reserve assessment is also included. The chapter concludes with a discussion on guidelines on reporting exploration results, mineral resources and reserves, and at the end provides references to support the interested reader to learn more.
