Mining powers our society and influences almost every aspect of our modern lives. This book examines the mining industry as a whole and investigates the economic decisions that underpin it. Journey through the life cycle of a gold mine and discover the technical and economic issues that affect the exploration, planning, operation and closure of a large-scale mining project. Discover how new mineral deposits are found and examine the economic factors that govern their development. This book throws more light on how a mine plan addresses the complete mining life cycle. By learning this book, you will experience the 'living plan' of a mine and see how extraction and processing of minerals is constantly adjusted to suit market conditions. You will also find out that closure is a natural part of every mine's life cycle and how economics and market forces influence the decision to close a mine.