What is the difference between strip mining and underground mining

What is the difference between strip mining and underground mining? Suren Abreu. Oct 10, Explanation: In strip mining, the ore is extracted from the surface in layers resulting in a deepening artificial valley.

Related questions What are some pros and cons of mining? Can you please describe the major steps involved in the mining process? What are the advantages and disadvantages of underground mining? Is strip mining necessary? How does mining affect the economy? What are the pros and cons of strip mining? Why is underground mining of coal so dangerous? These pit mines continue to be enlarged until there is no more ore to mine or the overburden becomes too heavy.

The pros of an open pit mine is that these mines usually produce a vast amount of ore without the costly process of removing overburden — the ore is often in a large area and close to the surface. However, a major con of these type of mines is that they are both dangerous to work in, and permanently alter the surrounding ecosystem. Mountaintop Removal Mining is highly controversial, and best suited for retrieving mass amounts of minerals, usually coal, from mountain peaks.

The process involves blasting the overburden with explosives above the mineral seam to be mined. The broken mountaintop is then shifted into valleys and fills below. This type of mining is used when the ore to be retrieved is feet or deeper. Dredging is the more sophisticated version of panning for gold.

Much like hopeful miners with their pans during the gold rush, floating dredges a barge fitted with conveyor belts and scoops move up a water table. A scoop lifts material up on a conveyor belt, and the mineral is removed on board the barge.

The unwanted material is then dropped back into the water table using another conveyor belt. Usually, highwalls are found at the edges of quarries and pit mines, and enable miners to retrieve ore from a wall that would otherwise be too expensive to clear of overburden in order to reach the ore.

An expensive and remotely controlled highwall mining machine excavates in a tight square from the face, using continuous drilling. Conveyor belts and pulleys move the matter from the drill through the device and the leftover matter is deposited behind the drill. Types of Surface Mining. Why Choose Surface Mining? They are: Area Stripping extracts ore over a large, flat terrain in long strips. Contour mining is a version of strip mining that follows the contours of outcrops and hilly terrains.