Mining is a profession mainly used to collect materials for engineering & blacksmithing or just to collect ore to sell for gold. You can also sell your ore to other engineers and blacksmiths.
To begin your profession in mining you first need to find a mining trainer. When you have found a mining trainer, train basic mining. What you need now is a mining pick. A mining pick can be found at trade merchants.
Now that you have the mining skill and a mining pick you are ready to begin collecting ore from mineral veins. To find a mineral vein click on your abilities tab and activate Find Minerals. The mineral veins will now appear on your minimap as yellow dots. Seek the minerak veins out. Have Find Minerals active as much as possible.
There are many different types of mineral veins found in the World of Warcraft. All types of minerals are listed here and the mining skill you must have to gather that sort of mineral.
Copper: 1 Tin: 65
Incendicite:** 65 Silver: 75
Bronze:* 75 Iron: 125
Indurium:** 150 Gold: 155
Lesser Bloodstone:** 155 Steel:* 165
Mithril: 175 Truesilver: 230
Dark Iron: 230 Small Thorium: 245
Rich Thorium: 275
Here is a list of the minerals and where they can be found
Copper Vein:
Alterac Mountains, Ashenvale, Darkshore, Desolace, Dun Morogh, Durotar, Duskwood, Elwynn Forest, Hillsbrad Foothills, Loch Modan, Mulgore, Redridge Mountains, Silverpine Forest, Stonetalon Mountains, The Barrens, Thousand Needles, Thunder Bluff, Tirisfal Glades, Westfall, Wetlands
Tin Vein:
The Barrens, Silverpine Forest, Darkshore, Ashenvale, Duskwood, Thousand Needles, Hillsbrad Foothills, Redridge Mountains, Loch Modan, Arathi Highlands, Wetlands, Stonetalon Mountains, Westfall, Alterac Mountains, Stranglethorn Vale, Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas
Silver Vein:
Alterac Mountains, Arathi Highlands, Ashenvale, Badlands, Darkshore, Desolace, Duskwood, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas, Hillsbad Foot hills, Loch Modan, redridge Mountains, Searing Gorge, Silverpine Forest, Stonetalon Mountains, Stranglethorn Vale, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, The Barrens, The Hinterlands, Thousand Needles, Westfall, Wetlands
Iron Deposit:
Alterac Mountains, Arathi Highlands, Ashenvale, Badlands, Desolace, Duskwood, Dustwallow Marsh, Feralas, Hillsbrad Foothills, Searing Gorge, Stonetalon Mountains, Stranglethorn Vale, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, The Hinterlands, Thousand Needles, Wetlands
Gold Vein:
Alterac Mountains, Alterac Valley, Arathi Highlands, Ashenvale, Azshara, Badlands, Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Desolace, Duskwood, Dustwallow Marsh, Eastern Plaguelands, Felwood, Feralas, Hillsbrad Foothills, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Stonetalon Mountains, Stranglethorn Vale, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, The Hinterlands, Thousand Needles, Un'Goro Crater, Western Plaguelands, Wetlands, Winterspring
Mithril Deposit:
Alterac Mountains, Arathi Highlands, Azshara, Badlands, Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Eastern Plaguelands, Felwood, Feralas, Hillsbrad Foothills, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Stonetalon Mountains, Stranglethorn Vale, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, The Hinterlands, Un'Goro Crater, Western Plaguelands, Winterspring
Truesilver Deposit:
Alterac Mountains, Arathi Highlands, Azshara, Badlands, Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Desolace, Dustwallow Marsh, Eastern Plaguelands, Felwood, Feralas, Hillsbrad Foothills, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Stonetalon Mountains, Stranglethorn Vale, Swamp of Sorrows, Tanaris, The Hinterlands, Thousand Needles, Un'Goro Crater, Western Plaguelands, Winterspring
Dark Iron Deposit:
Burning Steppes, Searing Gorge, Blackrock Depths, The Molten Core
Small Thorium Vein:
Blasted Lands, Burning Steppes, Eastern Plaguelands, Felwood, Feralas, Searing Gorge, Silithus, Tanaris, The Hinterlands, Un'Goro Crater, Western Plaguelands, Winterspring
Rich Thorium Vein:
Azshara, Burning Steppes, Eastern Plaguelands, Un'Goro Crater, Western Plaguelands, Winterspring
You can also smelt your ore to make metal bars used mainly for creating armor, weapons and other items created through the blacksmithing and engineering professions. To use a forge you need to find one. a Forge is mainly found in cities and main towns. When you've found a forge walk to it till your near it. Then in your abilities tab choose Smelting and start to smelt your ore into valuable metal bars. There are different recipes to choose from. To learn new recipes you have to go to your mining trainer and learn new recipes for different types of ore.