surface mining
Dig from above
Surface mining extracts minerals or other materials from deposits at or near the earth's surface, removing overlying soil and rock (overburden) to access the resource beneath.
Methods include strip mining, open-pit mining, and mountaintop removal.
It's faster and cheaper than underground mining but causes significant landscape disruption: Surface mining has scarred much of Appalachian coal country.
Recovery of something lost
- overburdenLoad beyond capacity
- topsoilNutrient-rich surface earth
- tailingsPost-extraction mineral waste
- erosionGradual wearing away
habitat destruction · deforestation · sedimentation · biodiversity loss · remediation · revegetation · spoil · pollution
Heavy digging machine
- excavatorMachine that digs earth
- bulldozerBladed vehicle pushing earth
- shovelTool for moving earth
- loaderOne who fills containers
dump truck · earthmover · backhoe · crusher · conveyor · grader · scraper · spreader
Explosive material removal
- drillingHole-making by rotation
- extractionAct of removing
- strippingRemoving outer layers
- benchingRemoving from active play
grading · backfilling · terracing · dewatering · haulage · stockpiling · crushing · screening
Combustible sedimentary rock
- oreMetal-bearing rock
- goldElement seventy-nine
- copperReddish-brown metallic element
- ironElement twenty-six
bauxite · diamonds · nickel · zinc · lead · platinum · silver · manganese
Excavated from exposed ground
- opencastSurface excavation method
- mountaintop removalExtracting coal by flattening summits
- dredgingExtracting underwater sediment
- quarryingOpen-pit stone mining
reclamation
Recovery of something lost
- overburdenLoad beyond capacity
- topsoilNutrient-rich surface earth
- tailingsPost-extraction mineral waste
erosion · habitat destruction · deforestation · sedimentation · biodiversity loss · remediation · revegetation · spoil · pollution · rehabilitation
dragline
Heavy digging machine
loader · dump truck · earthmover · backhoe · crusher · conveyor · grader · scraper · spreader · reclaimer
blasting
Explosive material removal
- drillingHole-making by rotation
- extractionAct of removing
- strippingRemoving outer layers
benching · grading · backfilling · terracing · dewatering · haulage · stockpiling · crushing · screening · fragmentation
coal
Combustible sedimentary rock
iron · bauxite · diamonds · nickel · zinc · lead · platinum · silver · manganese · phosphate
open-pit
Excavated from exposed ground
- opencastSurface excavation method
- mountaintop removalExtracting coal by flattening summits
- dredgingExtracting underwater sediment
- mininggold, mines, gold mines, mine, coal
- extractionexcavation, distillation, filtration, extraction, drilling
- Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush, gold flakes, gold nuggets, gold pan, gold panning
- earthworkdigging, excavation, excavating, trenching, shoveling
- mine reclamationreclamation, revegetation, ecological restoration, mine tailings, tailings
- mining lawclaim staking, claim filing, reclamation, boundary disputes, free entry
surface, mining, surfaces, resurface, surfaced, miners, surfacing, resurfaced, resurfacing