Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which the overlying rock is left in place, and the mineral is removed through shafts or tunnels.
In North America, where the majority of surface coal mining occurs, this method began to be used in the mid-16th century[2] and is practiced throughout the world in the mining of many different minerals.[3] In North America, surface mining gained popularity throughout the 20th century, and surface mines now produce most of the coal mined in the United States.[4]
In most forms of surface mining, heavy equipment, such as earthmovers, first remove the overburden. Next, large machines, such as dragline excavators or bucket-wheel excavators, extract the mineral.
Advantages of surface mining include lower cost and greater safety compared to underground mining. Disadvantages include hazards to human health and the environment. Humans face a variety of health risks caused by mining such as different cardiovascular diseases, food, and water contamination. Habitat destruction, alongside air, noise, and water pollution, are all significant negative environmental impacts caused by the side effects of surface mining.
- ^ Wolfgang Derek Maier, Raimo Lahtinen & Hugh O'Brien: Mineral Deposits of Finland. Elsevier, 2015. ISBN 978-0124104389.
- ^ Montrie, Chad (2003). To Save the Land and People: A History of Opposition to Surface Coal Mining in Appalachia. United States: The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 17. ISBN 0-8078-2765-7.
- ^ "Where Is Coal Found?". World Coal Association. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ Coal production by state and mine type 2013-2014, US Energy Information Administration, accessed 4 July 2016.