What term describes the process of verifying and adding transactions to a blockchain?

The process of verifying and adding transactions to a blockchain is known as mining. In the context of blockchain technology, mining refers specifically to the mechanism by which new blocks are created and added to the existing chain. This involves solving complex mathematical problems, which provides security to the network and ensures that transactions are verified in a decentralized manner.

When miners solve these problems, they not only validate transactions but also compete for rewards in the form of cryptocurrency. This incentivizes the maintenance of the network and ensures that it remains secure against fraud.

Other terms in the list, such as logging, storing, and processing, do not capture the specific mechanisms and incentives associated with adding transactions to a blockchain. Logging might refer to keeping a record of events or actions, storing simply indicates saving data, and processing suggests handling or working with data but doesn’t specifically imply the unique cryptographic and competitive aspect of adding transactions to a blockchain. Thus, mining is the most accurate term to describe this crucial process.