Question

Describe surface mining as it is practiced in the southern Appalachians.

Short answer

Surface mining in the Southern Appalachians commonly involves mountaintop removal mining, in which the mountain summit is removed, exposing the coal seams beneath. After the overburden is disposed of in nearby valleys, the valuable coal is extracted, and reclamation efforts are undertaken to return the site to a usable state.

Step-by-step solution

Understand Surface Mining

Surface mining is a process where large, often shallow deposits are removed from the Earth's surface. This can involve several methods such as strip mining, open-pit mining, and mountaintop removal mining. In this process, the soil and rock covering the mineral deposit, known as 'overburden', are removed to access the valuable materials underneath.

General Practice of Surface Mining

In general, surface mining process involves 5 main steps. These are: 1. Preparation for mining where the area is cleared of vegetation and topsoil, 2. Drilling and blasting where holes are drilled, filled with explosives and detonated to fragment the rock mass, 3. Overburden removal where the loose rock fragments are loaded and hauled to waste dump sites, 4. Extraction of valuable minerals, and 5. Land reclamation where the site is returned to a usable state after mining.

Surface Mining in the Southern Appalachians

In the southern Appalachians, the most common method of surface mining is mountaintop removal mining. This involves removing the summit of a mountain to get to the coal seams beneath. It starts with deforestation, then explosives are used to remove up to 400 vertical feet of mountain to expose underlying coal seams. The overburden is then dumped into nearby valleys in what are called 'valley fills'. The coal is extracted, the area is reclaimed where possible, and reforestation efforts are made.