How is coal mined? - What is Surface Mining and Underground Mining - Video

How is coal mined?

Mining is the process of removing coal from the ground. 

There are two types of mining:
underground mining and surface mining. When the coal seam is fewer than 125 feet under the surface, it is mined by surface mining. Coal that is deeper than 125 feet is removed from the ground by underground mining.

Surface Mining (Opencast Mining)


Surface Mining
is used when a coal seam is located close to the surface. Heavy equipment is used to clear the land of trees, shrubs and topsoil.

Holes are drilled into the rock and explosives are placed in these holes. The explosion breaks up the dirt and rock called overburden.

Large earth-moving machines move the overburden to expose the coal seam. When the coal is uncovered, bulldozers and shovels scoop up the coal and load it into large trucks. All of the coal is mined.
In 2000, there were six surface mines in Illinois. The surface mines produced 3,800,000 tons of coal and employed 330 miners. After mining the topsoil is replaced for plants and wildlife to grow again.

When the trucks are loaded, they will haul the coal
to the preparation plant.



Safety inspectors carefully monitor the drilling and blasting
process.


Dumper - Open Cast Mining

Underground Mining


Underground Mining is used when the coal seam lies deep in the earth. In an underground mine only some of the coal is removed. The coal that remains helps support the mine roof.

Underground mines look like a system of tunnels. The tunnels are used for traveling throughout the mine, moving coal from place to place and allowing air to circulate in the mine.

The coal that is mined is put on conveyor belts. The conveyor belts take the coal to the surface.

There are three types of underground mines: slope, drift, and shaft. When the coal seam is close to the surface but too deep to use surface mining, a slope mine can be built. In a slope mine a tunnel slants down from the surface to the coal seam.

A drift mine is built when the coal seam lies in the side of a hill or mountain. Drift mines may also be built in a surface mine that has become too deep. There are many drift mines in the eastern United States.
The most common type of mine in Illinois is the shaft mine. These mines may be 125 to 1,000 feet deep. A large hole, or shaft, is drilled down into the ground until it reaches the coal seam.

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