SHA-256 plays a crucial role in the mining process in blockchain technology. Here's how:

1. _Transaction validation_: Miners use SHA-256 to validate transactions, ensuring their integrity and authenticity.

2. _Block creation_: Miners create a new block and add transactions to it, then use SHA-256 to create a unique block hash.

3. _Block hashing_: Miners compete to find a block hash that meets a certain criteria (e.g., a certain number of leading zeros).

4. _Proof of Work (PoW)_: The miner who finds a valid block hash first gets to add the block to the blockchain, and is rewarded with cryptocurrency (e.g., Bitcoin).

5. _Blockchain update_: The new block is added to the blockchain, and the blockchain is updated to reflect the new transactions.

By using SHA-256 in the mining process, blockchain networks can ensure:

1. _Transaction security_

2. _Block integrity_

3. _Consensus mechanism_

4. _Decentralized trust_

SHA-256 is a fundamental component of the mining process, enabling the secure and decentralized creation of new blocks and the validation of transactions on the blockchain.