I'd like to introduce the topic of "mining" in general, and how this term compares to economic value and the transference of that value. Since mining is the extraction of resources, generally from the Earth, it is really synonymous with environmental degradation. Even today's farming to some degree, is environmentally unfriendly. However, these activities are necessary for our society to thrive.

We cannot sustain human existence unless we extract "resources" from our habitat. This has been done through the extraction of resources throughout history. It's just the resource and the value in which place on it that varies. Our first example of extraction was in the "hunter-gatherer" tribes of our early human ancestors. This type of society predominantly existed from 12 thousand to over a couple million years ago (1). Their mining was essentially acquiring food resources. Our earliest economy based entirely on attaining food for survival. It wasn't until around 12 thousand years ago when our knowledge as a species was increasing, albeit, very slowly, but we started performing daily tasks to improve our efficiency in resource gathering and increase the ability to sustain our energy requirements.

This increase in efficiency was the transition to agriculture and settlements. Hunting and gathering was very labor intensive compared to a field of crops and cattle which could yield food in predictable patterns. Our inefficient method wasn't the only resource gathering option anymore. We now understood the processes of farming and utilizing primitive tools to aide us in providing resources. This is how our daily tasks started to change more towards technological processes and we began establishing a "self sustaining" environment. This era encompasses the "stone age".

Continuous improvement and development over time has lead to increased efficiency in our means to gather resources and maximize the value of these resources. The "Iron Age"

At this point, it may seem pretty analogous to our self sustaining topic of "mining" crypto currency

National Geographic (1) - Hunter-Gatherer Culture | National Geographic Society