REVIEW: Mining

Mining

Chemicals released from mining can contaminate nearby water sources. Photo courtesy of CK-12. 

Humans impact the environment by mining resources such as minerals and fossil fuels. There are two main mining techniques: surface mining (for resources relatively close to earth's surface) and subsurface mining (for deeper resources). Surface mining can be done through open-pit mining, strip mining, and mountaintop removal. In open-pit mining, a large hole is dug to extract resources. In strip mining, large chunks of rock and soil are removed in order to reach resources. Mountaintop removal mining uses explosives to blast away large chunks of land in order to extract resources within a mountain. Subsurface mining is primarily done by cutting out networks of open areas underground, where the resources are located. 

Extracting, refining, and using mineral resources have profoundly negative effects on the environment. Mining leaves the land scarred and disrupts or even destroys ecosystems. In addition, wastes that are generated in the process or producing the end product contain toxins that are carried to both surface and groundwater supplies as well as emitted into the atmosphere. Although subsurface mining disturbs considerable less land than does surface mining and produces less waste, it is also far more dangerous and expensive.