Science Unit 4 Lesson 3 Flashcards
What are the 2 main types of mining?
Surface mining and underground mining
What is surface mining?
Surface mining is the practice of stripping layers of the earth to reach ore deposits underneath
What is underground mining?
The practice of drilling deep below the earth’s surface to extract ores
What does surface mining involve?
Surface mining involves stripping surface vegetation, dirt, bedrock and other layers of the earth to reach ore deposits underneath.
What does underground mining involve?
Underground mining, or deep mining, involves drilling deep below the surface to extract ores.
In some unground mining sites, what causes nearby water sources to decrease?
In the 1800s, the first coal mining in Ansted was done in underground mines deep within Earth. This occurred beneath the water table. Water flowed into the mine and had to be pumped out. As the water was pumped out of the mine, the water table was lowered. This caused the water supply of nearby streams to decrease.
Why is underground mining unsafe?
Underground mining can be very unsafe. If there is not enough oxygen, or explosive gases are released, lives are in danger
In the Virginia mine, what happened after all the coal had been extracted? And what did it lead to?
The mine collpased this created a depression in the land and caused sinkholes.
Surface mining gradually replaced under ground mining during the 1990’s why was that/Why did people switch to surface mining?
It was cheaper, safer for people, and more efficient
What does surface mining do to the land eviroment and the habitats on the land?
Before the area was mined for coal, large areas of land were completely cleared of all trees and topsoil. The habitats of animals were eliminated. Removal of topsoil caused soil erosion and landslides.
Why was surface mining bad to the atmosphere?
As workers dug to retrieve the coal, particulates were released, causing air pollution
What is underground mining doing to nearby water sources?
Harsh chemicals were used to extract the precious resource underground. These chemicals contaminated the groundwater as well as local streams and creeks. The contamination extended miles from the mining site, affecting wildlife and polluting drinking water.
Today, for every ____of coal that is mined, ____of earth have been removed.
1 ton; 16 tons
What are the enviromental impacts of surface mining?
soil erosin and possible landslides
.land degradation
What are the enviromental impacts of underground mining?
.Depression of land and sinkholes
.lowered water table
What are the enviromental impacts of both mining forms.
.Water pollution
.deforestation and destruction of animals’ habitats
What are the 2 common types of surface mining?
open-pit and moutain top removal.
What is the definition overburden?
The rock or soil that needs to be removed to expose seams of ore
What happens to overburden in surface mining?
Sometimes this is dumped downhill from the mine itself, further destroying land ecosystems. The overburden may also be dumped on areas or strips that have already been mined.
Releasing the overburden into the environment often has severely negative effects on water, what are a few?
Releasing the overburden into the environment often has severely negative effects on water. Local waterways suffer from the impact of increased sediment runoff. In many cases, contaminants like acids or heavy metals leach from the overburden into groundwater or become part of runoff into local waterways. In some cases of mountaintop removal mining, all of the removed material fills nearby valleys, completely clogging small creeks and streams.
