As a regular to the Opal Fields & a previous owner of an Opal mine I thought today I would just give a brief overview of what Opal mining is about.   The Basic Process So if you are only one person and you fancy a bit of mining you are in luck as a single person can handle the simplest form of Opal mining. The miner digs a vertical shaft through layers of earth. Opal is usually found under a layer of hard sandstone. Once the miner has reached the layer of "potch," the glassy, gray earth that may contain opals. The waste material is hauled out of the shaft with buckets as the miner drive...