Lesson 3: Surface Mining Identification

Question 1

What term is used for the removal of the material that lies above a coal seam in surface mining?

Answer 1

Overburden

Question 2

In coal mining, what is the term used in the United Kingdom and South Africa to describe a coal mine and its structures?

Answer 2

Colliery

Question 3

What is the large machine used to remove overburden by scooping material with a large bucket in surface mining?

Answer 3

Dragline

Question 4

Name the mining method that is performed by removing the surface material in long, narrow strips, commonly used for flat terrain.

Answer 4

Area strip mining

Question 5

What is the most common form of surface mining used to extract coal in the Appalachian coal fields of the United States, involving the removal of a mountain’s summit?

Answer 5

Mountaintop removal

Question 6

What is the large, continuous machine used for cutting coal and rock during surface mining, often combined with conveyor belts?

Answer 6

Bucket-wheel excavator

Question 7

In the process of surface mining, after coal seams are exposed and fractured, onto what are they typically loaded for transport to a coal preparation plant?

Answer 7

Trucks or conveyors

Question 8

What surface mining method is used when ore is close to the surface but is covered by weak rock layers, requiring the digging of circular benches around the pit?

Answer 8

Open-pit mining

Question 9

What equipment is specifically used in auger mining, consisting of a cutting head that drills into exposed coal seams?

Answer 9

Auger

Question 10

What do you call the process of drilling and blasting through overburden to expose coal seams before the coal is fractured and extracted in strips?

Answer 10

Removal of overburden

Question 11

In which country does surface mining account for 80% of its coal production?

Answer 11

Australia

Question 12

What surface mining technique uses a cutting head with diameters ranging from 1.5 to 8 feet, and a prime mover to transport the coal to the surface?

Answer 12

Auger mining

Question 13

When using the contour strip mining method, what is created by bulldozers or power shovels in terraced steps along a hill to access coal seams?

Answer 13

Terraced strips

Question 14

In the open-pit mining method, what is the sequence of creating horizontal steps called, which are progressively dug deeper to extract ore?

Answer 14

Benches (Circular benches in open-pit mining)

Question 15

What surface mining technique is primarily used in flat terrain and involves the sequential removal of strips of overburden and the subsequent extraction of coal seams underneath?

Answer 15

Area strip mining

Question 16

Which company is responsible for 92% of the coal production in the Philippines, primarily through surface mining methods?

Answer 16

Semirara Mining Corporation

Question 17

What is the equipment used to transport coal after it is extracted from a coal seam during surface mining, capable of moving large volumes of coal over long distances?

Answer 17

Conveyor belt

Question 18

What type of surface mining involves blasting and removing the overlying rock to reveal a coal seam, often in hilly or mountainous terrain, but with less impact than mountaintop removal?

Answer 18

Contour strip mining

Question 19

Name the principal piece of equipment in auger mining that provides mounting for the engine, drive head, and controls.

Answer 19

Prime mover

Question 20

What is the term used in surface mining to refer to the process of transporting overburden and coal from the mining area to dump sites or processing plants?

Answer 20

Hauling

Question 21

What is the large-scale surface mining method that recovers a greater fraction of the coal deposit compared to underground methods by exposing more coal seams for extraction?

Answer 21

Open-pit mining (or Surface mining in general)

Question 22

What type of strip mining method is used when a coal seam is located on the side of a hill, and mining is conducted along the contours of the land?

Answer 22

Contour strip mining

Question 23

In surface mining, what term refers to the removal of the topmost layer of rock or soil in preparation for extracting a coal seam beneath it?

Answer 23

Overburden removal

Question 24

In auger mining, what is the piece of equipment that cuts into exposed coal seams and transports it to the surface?

Answer 24

Cutting head

Question 25

What is the process used to access coal seams situated under mountains by completely removing the mountain’s summit, a technique widely used in certain parts of the United States?

Answer 25

Mountaintop removal

Question 26

What are the long, narrow strips of land left after the coal seam is extracted in strip mining called, where overburden from subsequent strips is dumped?

Answer 26

Spoil piles

Question 27

What specific surface mining method uses large equipment to create circular benches that descend into a pit to remove ore?

Answer 27

Open-pit mining

Question 28

What country’s coal production is predominantly surface mined, with 67% of coal being extracted via surface methods?

Answer 28

United States

Question 29

What is the first step in surface mining, involving the removal of layers of soil and rock covering the coal seam?

Answer 29

Overburden removal

Question 30

In what region of the United States is mountaintop removal widely practiced due to the abundance of coal seams near mountain peaks?

Answer 30

Appalachian coal fields (West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee)

Question 31

What type of mining is commonly used to mine coal and lignite from large flat areas, typically found in countries like Australia and the United States?

Answer 31

Area strip mining

Question 32

What method is used to mine coal deposits that are too deep for surface mining but too shallow for underground mining, utilizing a machine that drills horizontally into a seam?

Answer 32

Auger mining

Question 33

In surface mining, what is the sequence of steps that involves overburden removal, coal extraction, and hauling to processing plants or directly to markets?

Answer 33

Surface mining cycle

Question 34

What is the mining method where horizontal steps are cut into the side of a mountain or hill to expose and extract coal seams?

Answer 34

Contour strip mining

Question 35

In which part of the world is the term “colliery” used to refer to a coal mine operation?

Answer 35

United Kingdom and South Africa

Question 36

What type of heavy machinery is used in mountaintop removal to blast and haul away the top of a mountain to expose coal seams beneath?

Answer 36

Blasting equipment and haul trucks

Question 37

What is the primary reason for choosing surface mining methods over underground methods when mining coal?

Answer 37

Coal seams are near the surface and more economical to extract

Question 38

Name the method used for mining large coal seams spread across wide flat terrains, commonly seen in countries with vast coal reserves.

Answer 38

Area strip mining

Question 39

What is the large mechanical device used to scoop up and transport overburden in surface mining, notable for its massive size and bucket?

Answer 39

Dragline

Question 40

In which country does surface mining account for 80% of the coal production, making it a key method for coal extraction?

Answer 40

Australia