http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/Issues/AlaskaCoal/CoalMining.html
1DavidCoil,PhD,Director;2ErinMcKittrick,M.S.,Director;3Bretwood"Hig"Higman,PhD,ExecutiveDirector;[email protected]
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Commercial
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LastModified:26thFebruary2013
Alaskaminescape
ThetwolargestofUsibellicoal
mines,activeTwoBullRidgeinthe
foreground,andpartiallyreclaimed
andinactivePokerFlatsinthe
background.
DavidCoil,PhD,Director1,ErinMcKittrick,M.S.,Director2,Bretwood"Hig"
Higman,PhD,[email protected]
Miningforcoalcanbedividedintotwomajorcategories,
undergroundminingandstripmining .Undergroundmining
obtainscoalbydiggingdownwardstothelevelofthecoaland
thenhorizontallyextractingthecoalthroughavarietyof
methods .Incontrast,stripminingsimplyremovesthe
overlayingearthandthenextractsthecoaldirectly.
Undergroundmininghasbeenthedominantmethodusedfor
centuriestominecoalbutcurrentlyonlyaccountsforathird
ofcoalproductionintheUS.Dependingonthegeologyofthe
region,stripminescanbemoreeconomicalandsaferthan
undergroundmines.However,theyhaveamuchlargerand
morevisibleimpactontheenvironment.
Instripmining,theoverlayingearth"overburden "is
removedusinggiantexcavatorsorbulldozersandthenthe
coalisdugoutoftheresultingpitandtruckedoutofthemine.
Sometimestheoverburdenisloosenedfirstbyblastingwith
explosives.Stripminingisthetechniqueused atAlaska's
onlyoperatingcoalmine,UsibelliCoalMine,andisthemethodtobeusedattheproposedChuitnaCoal
Prospect.
Bothundergroundandstripminesareregulatedbytherulesregardingcoalminereclamation.Inthecase
ofstripmines,theoverburdenisusuallypushedbackintothepitandthentheentireareaisleveled,
stabilizedandthenplanted.
DateCreated:19thApril2010
CoalMining
