The developments started in the 1860s exploiting deposits in New South Wales and Tasmania.

They also exploited smaller deposits in Britain, such as placer and hard-rock deposits at Dolaucothi.

However, as of 2007, many licences have been given to other companies from countries such as India, Canada and Australia in order to exploit new deposits.

There is a small amount of mining, exploiting local deposits of gold, silver, limestone, fluorspar, and scaly graphite.

Gold mining in Sierra Leone consisted of small scale operation exploiting alluvial deposits.

There are several mines, exploiting local deposits of manganese, gold, copper, talc, fluorite, barite, and anthracite.

If the oil exists, it would probably take decades to develop techniques for exploiting such midocean deposits, Dr. Brinkhuis and other scientists said.

Present-day technologies make it possible to exploit deposits of raw materials in places where no one would previously have supposed it to be possible.

The dominant economic activity is the mining industry, exploiting deposits of silver and lead.

Explorations are underway to exploit deposits of oil and gas.