A mining pool is a collaborative effort where multiple miners combine their computational resources to increase their chances of successfully mining cryptocurrency blocks. In a mining pool, miners pool together their computing power, allowing them to collectively solve complex mathematical problems and share the resulting rewards. By working together, mining pools can achieve a more consistent and predictable income stream compared to solo mining. Rewards earned from mining are distributed among the participants based on their contributed computing power. Mining pools help smaller miners have a fair chance of earning rewards and reduce the variance in mining income. They play a crucial role in maintaining the decentralization and efficiency of blockchain networks.