Surface mining facts for kids

Surface mining in the United States

Surface mining is a way to dig up valuable materials like coal or minerals from the ground. Instead of digging deep tunnels, this method works right on the surface of the land. Big machines remove the dirt and rocks that cover the material you want to get. This covering layer is called the overburden.

Surface mining became very popular in the 1900s. It became the main way to dig for coal in places like the Appalachian Mountains and the Midwestern United States.

What is Surface Mining?

Surface mining is different from underground mining. In underground mining, workers dig tunnels and shafts to reach the minerals deep below the surface. But in surface mining, all the soil and rock on top of the mineral deposit are taken away. This allows miners to reach the minerals from above.

Types of Surface Mining

There are a few main types of surface mining:

• Strip mining: This is used when the mineral deposit is in long, flat layers. Miners remove a strip of overburden to get the mineral. Then, they remove another strip next to it.
• Open-pit mining: This creates a large, deep hole in the ground, like a giant bowl. It's used for deposits that are spread out in a wide area, often for metals like copper or iron.
• Mountaintop removal mining: As the name suggests, this method removes the top of a mountain to reach coal seams inside.

How Surface Mining Works

The process of surface mining involves powerful machines.

Removing the Overburden

First, large pieces of earthmoving equipment are used. These machines dig up and move the overburden (the soil and rocks on top). They clear the way to get to the valuable material underneath.

Extracting the Mineral

Once the overburden is gone, even bigger machines come in. These can be dragline excavators or Bucket-wheel excavators. They are designed to scoop up huge amounts of the mineral, like coal, from the exposed deposit.

Images for kids

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  The Siilinjärvi carbonatite complex, a mine owned by Yara International, in Siilinjärvi, Finland

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  The Bagger 288 is a bucket-wheel excavator used in strip mining.

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  The El Chino mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine.

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  Highwall mining