Mining Methods Quiz

Mining Methods and Their Environmental Impact

• Mountaintop Removal Mining: Involves blasting away the entire top of a mountain to access resources like coal; significant environmental degradation.

• Underground Mining: Utilized when resources are located more than 100 meters underground; involves accessing veins of minerals through tunnels.

• Placer Mining: Uses water to separate heavier materials (like gold) from lighter sediments in riverbeds; effective in sifting through alluvial deposits.

• Surface Mining: Common for extracting sedimentary materials such as coal and sand; involves removing layers of soil and rock to access deposits.

• Open-Pit Mining: Results in a visible pit in the ground, leading to excessive runoff and sedimentation; creates major alterations to the landscape.

• Mining Contamination: Mining activities can contaminate rivers and surrounding areas with sediment and chemicals, affecting water quality and ecosystems.

• Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): Describes water that has come into contact with mine tailings, resulting in acidity; often contains leached metals, posing environmental risks.

• Smelting: The process of separating metals from ore using high temperatures; desired minerals settle at the bottom after melting, but creates waste byproducts.

• Tailings: Waste material generated from mining operations, often containing unwanted minerals; poses disposal challenges and potential contamination risks.

• Dewatering: Involves the use of pumps to remove water from mine sites, preventing flooding; can lower pH in surrounding soils and waterways, harming local ecosystems.