Informed, Safe and Sustainable Mining

The UA Department of Mining and Geological Engineering is a global leader in research involving mining communication platforms, water conservation in mines, subsurface fluid extraction, concrete alternatives, and health and safety networks.

MGE researchers are working on a wide range of interdisciplinary research projects and commercial products – systems that monitor miners’ health, software for safety training, better methods for mineral separation, and technology to automate mine operations, for example.

Focus Areas

UA mining and geological engineering research focuses on the following primary areas:

• Geophysical sensing techniques

• Mine health and safety

• Mineral and chemical characterization

• Mineral processing, geometallurgy and extractive metallurgy

• Mine technology and automation

• Rock strength, fracturing and excavation

• Sustainable mining and development

Research Centers and Facilities

MGE has two one-of-a-kind resources working to make mining sustainable worldwide and providing industry-level student training. 

First, MGE students and faculty are integral to the university’s globally influential Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources. Secondly, for research and training, the department operates the UA’s San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, the only underground mining lab with a working vertical shaft in the United States.

See UA College of Engineering-affiliated Research Centers and Institutes.