ABSTRACT
World War II came to an abrupt end in 1945 following the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The effect of this weapon was devastating, and the basic raw material was one of the complex uranium minerals. From 1950 onwards, advanced mechanisation programmes were developed in coalmining, and more particularly in longwall mining. At Bevercotes Colliery in England in 1963, a partly automated longwall system was on trial. This involved a sequence of mechanised operations at the face without the presence of miners. This system was known as ROLF, an acronym for Remotely Operated Longwall Faces. Following World War II, Canada entered its greatest period of mineral expansion. Existing mines increased production, and new scientific exploration techniques brought in a number of new producing mines. During the Uranium Age, China has been producing significant quantities of iron ore, lead, zinc, antimony, gold, coal, molybdenum, non-metallic and rare earth minerals.
