Mountain Top Removal
Mountain Top removal is just as it sounds, the removal of the top of a mountain to retrieve the coal under the surface.
This coal is mined by removing the top soil and placing it aside so it can be reused for reclamation later. Then they blast the rock above the coal seam and push the dirt and rock into nearby valleys in a process which is called Valley Fill. An excavator then scoops up the exposed coal and it is transported to a processing plant where it is washed and transported elsewhere. The waste water left from this process, which is called Slurry, is stored in ponds held back by man-made earthen dams.
Since Coal is usually in several seams underground this process is repeated a dozen times or more on a single mountain which can lower the mountains’ elevation by hundreds of feet in some cases. There are many downfalls to this type of mining; streams and tributaries are filled during valley fills, water supplies are compromised, wildlife habitats are destroyed and......
View the rest of this paper...
Approximate Word Count: 617
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)
Why should you join Frat Files?
- - It's safe, secure, and private.
- - Instant access to over 100,000 papers. New papers are added hourly.
- - Fast and reliable customer support.
Similar Essays
-
Mountain Top Removal
Mountain Top Removal. The ... Aside from just regular coal mining, West Virginia
coalmines have been using mountain top removal mining. According ... -
Mountain Top Removal
Mountain Top Removal. Mountain Top removal is just as it sounds, the removal of
the top of a mountain to retrieve the coal under the surface. ... -
Lord Of The Flies Book Report
... crack in the rock and sticking the sow's head on top. ... He finds his way back down
the mountain and towards the ... The end of innocence is the removal of the layers ... -
Lord Of The Flies Book Report
... crack in the rock and sticking the sow's head on top. ... He finds his way back down
the mountain and towards the ... The end of innocence is the removal of the layers ... -
Essay
... settlers of the Arkansas territory were soon demanding the removal of both ... faction
led by Major Ridge (Kahnungdatlageh -"the man who walks the mountain top"). ...
Frat Files
Members
Information
