Human civilizations rely on raw materials to produce goods. As societies have become more industrialized, the need for raw materials has increased.
These raw materials are not renewable, and could eventually be depleted. The process of using raw materials has several steps. First, people must find the raw materials. Then, the minerals have to be extracted from mining. The minerals need to be purified and processed, then converted into the substance that is desired. At that point, they can be used in the industrial process.Minerals are obtained in a variety of ways. Open-pit surface mining, area strip
mining, or contour strip mining can be used for materials near the earth's surface, and subsurface mining can be used for those below. Usually, the mining process will end when about 80% of the mineral supply has been removed. At that point, the supply is considered depleted because acquiring the rest would be unprofitable. Some people are worried about depletion of mineral supplies. The Cornucopians think that mineral supplies will continue to last, and substitute
materials will be found for those that are depleted. The Neo-Malthusians feel that mineral supplies can be increased. However, they also say that the costs of using important resources will eventually make the use of those resources unprofitable. Today, less developed countries are worried about their future growth. They think that even if future mineral supplies are discovered, these new supplies will only continue to benefit the developed countries. | 
