Open-Pit Mining, Opencast Mining, Open-Cut Mining, Strip Mining, Mining

About Coal Mining

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When coal seams are near the surface, it may be economical to extract the coal using open-cut, also referred to as open-cast, open-pit, mountaintop removal or strip, mining methods. Opencast coal mining recovers a greater proportion of the coal deposit than underground methods, as more of the coal seams in the strata may be exploited. This

Coal mining, extraction of coal deposits from the surface of Earth from underground. Coal has been used since the Bronze Age, 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, and was the basic energy source that fueled the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. The conventional mining techniques described above, made up of the cyclic operations of

Mining coal. Coal miners use large machines to remove coal from the earth. Many U.S. coal deposits, called coal beds or seams, are near the earth's surface, but others are deep underground.Modern mining methods allow U.S. coal miners to easily reach most of the nation's coal reserves and to produce about three times more coal in one hour than in 1978.

coal mining methods, their significances, is sues of concern and the stages of using coal af ter mining. 1. Introduction Coal is a readily combustible rock contain ing more than 50 percent by

As mining of coal depends on the depth and quality of the coal seams, different techniques are used to dig the deposits. Surface mining and deep underground mining are the two main methods of mining coal. Depth, density, and thickness of the coal seam are the factors that are taken into account while selecting the mining method for coal extraction.

Surface mining vs underground mining Underground Mining. Room and pillar and longwall are two dominant methods that account for the vast majority of underground coal mining.. Room And Pillar Mining. In this mining strategy, seams of the coal are mined partially, leaving large pillars of coal intact in a bid to support the overlying layers of rock.

Other underground coal mines are laid out in a checkerboard of rooms and pillars Fig. 2, and the mining operation involves cyclical, step by-step mining sequences. The rooms are the empty areas from which coal has been mined, and the pillars are blocks of coal generally 40 to 80 feet on a side left to support the mine roof.

These pillars can be up to 40 of the total coal in the seam - although this coal can sometimes be recovered at a later stage. Longwall. When is this method used? Longwall mining is used to mine a long wall of coal in a single slice. How does it work? Longwall mining involves the full extraction of coal from a section of the seam, or 'face

In surface mining, the ground covering the coal seam the overburden is first removed to expose the coal seam for extraction. The elements of a surface mining operation are 1 topsoil removal and storage for later use, 2 drilling and blasting the strata overlying the coal seam, 3 loading and transporting this fragmented overburden material called spoil, 4 drilling and blasting the

Conventional mining is the oldest method and accounts for only about 12 of underground coal output. In conventional mining, the coal seam is cut, drilled, blasted and then loaded into cars. Continuous mining is the most prevalent form of underground mining, accounting for 56 of total underground production.