Why wouldn't a human colony that lost its technology mine for metals or use electricity?

I'm trying to come up with a history for a planet that's more-or-less Earth-like that was colonized by a small group of humans ~1000 years ago.

Human civilization on this planet has an understanding of chemistry/physics similar to our own, having originally arrived from Earth, and has a population ranging from ~2000-~300000 people between colonization and 'now'. They lost access to most of their technology very soon after landing, but were able to preserve most of their knowledge with books and other records, and by 'current' day, have access to most technologies we do that don't rely on electricity/metal, such as glass-working, woodworking (with a native equivalent of wood), tanning (with a native equivalent of skin), farming, masonry, fiber-working for fabric, thread, and paper, (using native equivalents) etc...

However, this civilization should not have advanced metalworking or electronic technology. Scraps of salvaged metal from their ship, as well as small natural surface deposits/meteorites/etc. are sufficient that metal items exist, but the civilization should not have put any effort towards developing any kind of mining industry, specifically for practical reasons.

I'm not interested in psychological or cultural reasons why they might not do so (as I have an established culture more or less developed), but specifically what geological/other physical factors could conspire to make mining impractical without a powerful psychological or cultural drive to embrace it.

posted almost 7 years ago

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