Abstract
<jats:p>The article discusses process flowsheets of environmentally balanced methods of mining solid mineral deposits, the relevance of which has increased against the trend of deteriorating natural quality of extracted mineral raw materials, more complex mining conditions, and increased man-caused stress on the environment, including the growing amount of waste. Such a mining method aims to strike a balance between the unavoidable negative impact that comes with all the mining processes and the solutions that offset this impact. It has been determined that a significant environmental effect can be achieved by using large volumes of worked-out open-pit mines and man-made terrains, purposefully forming them during the mining process as man-made georesources with specified consumer properties.</jats:p>