What Is Contour Strip Mining? Where Is Contour Strip Mining Used?
What Is Contour Strip Mining?
Contour strip mining is a method of extracting minerals from hilly areas where the mineral is exposed at the surface at a consistent elevation along the hillside.
This method involves the removal of the overburden, which is the soil and rock covering the mineral deposit, starting at the outcrop and proceeding around the hillside in a way that creates a cut that follows the contour of the hill.
This method is typically used when the mineral deposit is located at a consistent elevation along the hillside, and allows for the extraction of the mineral while minimizing the impact on the surrounding landscape.
How Does Contour Strip Mining Affect The Environment?
Contour strip mining, also known as surface mining, involves removing a strip of overlying soil and rock to access valuable minerals or coal deposits beneath. This type of mining can have a significant impact on the environment.
Removing vegetation and topsoil can lead to erosion, reducing soil fertility and making it difficult for new plant growth to take hold. Surface mining can also pollute surface and ground water, drain underground water reserves, and damage roads and other structures.
In addition, it can scar the landscape and alter the natural terrain, making it difficult for wildlife to thrive in the area.
Where Is Contour Strip Mining Used?
Contour strip mining is a method of strip mining that is commonly used in areas with rough and hilly topography. In this method, the coal or mineral seam outcrops along the side of a slope.
The mining process begins by excavating a bench or table cut at and along the site of the seam outcropping.
This method is used in areas where the coal or mineral seam is close to the surface and outcrops along a hill or mountain. It is also used when the area’s topography is too steep or rugged to use other strip mining methods.
How Does Strip Mining Affect Humans?
Strip mining, also known as mountaintop removal mining, is a type of surface mining that involves removing the top layer of a mountain to access coal or other minerals beneath. This type of mining can have negative effects on human health.
Living in areas where strip mining occurs can increase the risk of lung cancer and respiratory disease due to exposure to pollutants in the air. Studies have shown that levels of pollution are highest in areas with the most mountaintop removal.
Scientists have also found a direct link between dust from mountaintop removal and lung cancer. Additionally, strip mining can also lead to displacement of local communities and destruction of natural habitats and biodiversity.
What Tools Are Used For Strip Mining?
Strip mining is a method of extracting minerals and resources from the earth by removing layers of soil and rock, known as overburden, from the surface. There are two main types of strip mining: contour strip mining and area strip mining.
Contour strip mining is used for hilly sites, and it involves using heavy equipment such as shovels or dozers to remove strips of overburden around the hill in terraces. This creates a series of stepped surfaces, allowing for the extraction of the valuable mineral or resource.
Area strip mining, on the other hand, is used for flat surfaces, and it requires less heavy equipment such as draglines or scrapers.
These tools are used to clear large areas of overburden and reveal the valuable mineral or resource underneath. Both methods of strip mining have significant environmental impacts and are highly regulated.
