Mining!
Alyssa and Julia
Surface vs. Subsurface
Subsurface mining is when the mineral bed is hundreds of feet in Earth's crust. To dig this deep, the miners need to make tunnels supported with blocks of wood.
Source from: http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ma-Mu/Mining.html
Picture from: http://www.conservapedia.com/images/thumb/d/d6/Coalmine.png/550px-Coalmine.png
Surface Mining
Source: http://www.britannica.com/technology/strip-mining
Open Pit Mining: To open pit mine, they make a pit and extract minerals until there are no minerals left. This effects the surface and groundwater.
Source: http://www.mine-engineer.com/mining/open_pit.htm
Mountain Top Removal: The miners destroy the surface of a mountain, tearing up trees and bushes. Holes are made to find the coal in a mountain. This explodes the top of mountains off of the mountain. It flattens the mountains and pushes rock and debris into valleys, harming the area around it.
Source: http://earthjustice.org/features/campaigns/what-is-mountaintop-removal-mining#
Open Pit Mining
Mountain Top Removal
Subsurface Mining
Shaft Mining: Shaft mining is when a conveyor belt brings coal and other resources at a vertical angle from the Earth.
Source for Slope and Shaft: http://ilovemountains.org/images/mtr/Digging.jpg
Drift Mining: Drift mining is a horizontal passage into a mine.
Source: http://www.greatmining.com/drift-mining.htm
For all subsurface mining, they damage the environment and cause cracks in the ground. They create holes and tunnels underground. It can also harm the people in the surrounding area.
Drift Mining
Shaft Mining
Fracking
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-14432401
Source for Picture: https://raminskibba.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/ucs-fracking-report-fig1.png