Mountain Top Mining
This mining method removes the tops of mountains to access coal deposits beneath them.
What is Mountaintop removal mining.
Workers in shaft mining face a higher risk of this due to poor air quality and exposure to underground dust particles.
What are Respiratory Diseases
Dust and emissions from heavy machinery used in area mining can lower the quality of this natural resource
What is air quality
This type of mining uses angled tunnels dug into the side of a hill or mountain to reach mineral deposits.
What is slope mining
This type of mining follows the shape, or contour, of a hillside to remove coal near the surface
What is contour mining
A major ecological effect of mountain top mining is the destruction of these places where plants and animals live.
What are Habitats
Shaft mining can lead to this dangerous event when underground tunnels weaken and collapse beneath the surface.
What are sinkholes
Area mining can reduce the amount of fertile land available for farming by removing and compacting this important layer of earth.
What is topsoil
Digging into hillsides for slope mining can destroy these important where wildlife lives and feeds.
What are habitats
Noise and blasting from contour mining can cause what type of pollution.
Removing forests and blasting mountain peaks can increase this environmental issue, making nearby areas more vulnerable after heavy rainfall
What is Flooding
Shaft mining can release dangerous gases underground, increasing the risk of these sudden underground disasters.
What are Mine Explosions
Area mining often removes large amounts of vegetation, increasing this environmental problem when rain washes away exposed soil.
What is soil erosion
Poor ventilation in slope mines can cause a buildup of this dangerous gas, creating health and explosion hazards for miners
What is methane
Contour mining can increase the amount of loose rock and dirt carried into nearby waterways after storms, reducing water clarity.
What is sedimentation
Mountain top mining often buries these ecosystems under excess rock and soil disrupting habitats and natural water flow
What are Valleys/Streams
Workers in shaft mines face this increased risk due to unstable tunnels and underground structural failures.
What are cave-ins/mine collapses
Rain washing over exposed rock and soil from area mines can carry sediments into rivers, causing this environmental problem.
What is sedimentation
Slope mining increases the risk of this dangerous event when weakened rock and soil suddenly move downhill.
What are landslides
Cutting roads and terraces into hillsides during contour mining can increase this process during heavy rainfall.
What is runoff
This long-term consequence of mountain top mining occurs when pollutants from disturbed rock enter streams, reducing aquatic biodiversity and contaminating watersheds
What is Water Pollution
This environmental problem can occur when acidic water from exposed minerals in abandoned shafts contaminates nearby water ways.
What is acid mine drainage
Area mining can permanently alter landscapes, leaving behind large scars on the land and reducing bio diversity across entire ecosystems.
What is Habitat Destruction
Slope mining can pollute nearby streams when loose sediment from disturbed hillsides is carried away by rainfall
What is sediment runoff
Contour mining can permanently reshape hillsides, reducing the amount of usable land for farming and development.
What is land degradation