Types of Mining

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Surface Mining

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• What is it? Removing soil and rock to get minerals.

  What is mined? Coal, iron, copper, gold.

• How does it work? Big machines dig up the land.

• Harmful effects: Destroys forests, removes topsoil, hurts animals.

• Activity: Draw a before-and-after picture of land affected by surface mining.

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Open-Pit Mining

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• What is it? A big hole is dug in the ground to get minerals.

• What is mined? Copper, diamonds, gold.

• How does it work? Explosives break rock, then machines remove minerals.

• Harmful effects: Damages land, pollutes water.

• Activity: Use sand or clay to make a model of an open-pit mine.

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Strip Mining

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• What is it? Removing minerals in long, flat strips.

• What is mined? Coal, tar sands.

• How does it work? Machines remove topsoil in layers.

• Harmful effects: Kills plants, pollutes rivers.

• Activity: Write a short story about a farmer living near strip mining.

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Mountaintop Removal

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• What is it? Blowing up mountains to reach coal.

• What is mined? Coal.

• How does it work? Explosives remove the top of mountains. Waste is dumped in valleys.

• Harmful effects: Destroys mountains, pollutes rivers.

• Activity: Make a before-and-after drawing of a mountain.

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Subsurface Mining

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• What is it? Digging tunnels underground to get minerals.

• What is mined? Gold, zinc, lead, coal.

• How does it work? Workers go underground using elevators.

• Harmful effects: Dangerous for workers, can pollute water.

• Activity: Make a paper model of a subsurface mine.