Types of Mining
Surface and Subsurface Mining
By: Paola Andreu and Alexis Baptiste
Surface Mining
Strip Mining
Strip mining removes the rock, gravel, trees and plants from a region and deposits it into nearby streams and rivers. The sediments wind up blocking up the banks of the streams which can lead to flooding in the environment.
Open Pit Mining
Open Pit mining needs to remove a large amount of sediments to reach different ores and while doing that, the earth often removes toxic or radioactive gases.
Mountaintop Removal
Mountaintop Removal can bury large amounts of usable water and poison even more which can kill the organisms in the mountains and pollute to far places.
Subsurface Mining
Slope Mining
Slope Mining can contaminate water, displace wildlife, and increase soil degradation
Drift Mining
Drift Mining can dispense minerals into nearby rivers and streams ans cause deforestation in the parts of the mountains.
Shaft Mining
Shaft Mining can erode the surrounding rock quickly and form sinkholes where the mines are underneath
Fracking
Fracking can cause oil to leak into groundwater reservoirs and wells and release toxic gases into the atmosphere.