Georg Agricola's foundational work begins by defending the utility of mining against classical detractors who viewed mineral extraction as a destructive and unnecessary vice. Through rigorous reasoning, the author demonstrates that metals are essential to human survival, providing the raw materials for agricultural tools, building construction, and medical preparations, while arguing that moral corruption stems from human avarice rather than the metals themselves. The treatise transitions into a detailed examination of underground geological structures, categorizing veins and stringers into precise types based on their orientation, width, and depth within the earth. Agricola rejects the astrological and alchemical speculations of his predecessors, insisting that subterranean phenomena must be understood through physical evidence.
He analyzes the origin of ground waters, the formation of ore deposits from circulating solutions, and the mechanics of vein intersection. Subsequent sections cover the practical aspects of mining law, the surveying instruments used to determine underground directions, and the complex administration of mining claims and meers. The work proceeds to document the tools, machinery, and safety equipment required for subterranean work, illustrating the labor-intensive reality of the profession. Later portions describe the methods of assaying ores, roasting, crushing, and wet concentration, culminating in detailed metallurgical processes for smelting various metals and separating silver from gold and copper. Agricola concludes by emphasizing that true scientific progress depends upon empirical research rather than unverified dogma, leaving a lasting monument to sixteenth-century technical achievement.
