Surface mining is a cheaper method of extracting minerals and metals found near the Earth’s surface, but can have a significant impact on the environment. There are three types: open pit, strip, and quarry mining. The US has established the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to oversee clearance of surface mines, while in the UK, reclamation is required and reclaimed land is used for various projects.
Surface mining is a mining method used to extract minerals and metals that are found near the surface of the Earth. There are three basic types of surface mining: open pit mining, strip mining, and quarry mining. These methods are much cheaper than underground mining, but can have a more significant impact on the surrounding environment unless efforts are made to reclaim the land.
Open pit mining involves excavations that resemble a terrace. Cuts are made in the ground and the area at that depth is worked around the circumference of the mine. Once the minerals and rubbish have been removed from the ledge, called the bench, the excavation drops one level and the work begins again. This type of surface mining, also known as hard rock mining, is typically employed to mine metallic ores, such as copper, gold, iron and aluminum, and other ores.
Mining is a form of surface mining used primarily for the excavation of coal. The rock and dirt covering the ore are removed one strip at a time. Once the ore has been taken from the first strip, a second strip is cut alongside it and the waste from the second strip is used to refill the first. This goes on until the ore runs out, then the waste from the first strip is used to replenish the last.
Sand, gravel, clay, granite and other materials used in construction are mined in the quarries. This type of mining begins by exploding the rock in order to create the maximum fracture. The rocks are further reduced by crushing machines and separated according to size. Stone quarrying doesn’t blast the rock, but it does employ a method called broaching, which uses wedges placed in the holes rather than explosives. Wedges are hammered into the holes until the stone breaks free.
Surface mining can be a cheap and relatively safe method of reaching the necessary resources. The damage caused to the environment if the mine is not cleared, however, can be quite significant. Some of the problems faced in areas with abandoned mines include polluted surface water and groundwater, clogged sediment flows, landslides, fumes, and unstable ground.
In the United States, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act established the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) as an office of the Department of the Interior to oversee the clearance of surface mines. The primary focus is on coal mining, and the CEME is tasked with ensuring that mining is conducted in an environmentally responsible manner and that land is reclaimed during and after the mining process. To achieve this, they have the authority to deny mineral rights in areas where reclamation is not feasible.
In the UK, which has a much longer history of surface mining than the US, reclamation is also a required part of the mining process. In many cases, the mining occurred in areas of unusable land, and the reclamation process not only restored but improved the soil. Land reclaimed in Britain is used for agriculture, housing developments, parks, golf courses and many other projects that meet local needs.
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