AP Environmental Science / Unit 5: Land and Water Use
5.9 Impacts of Mining
Notes
- Surface mining (strip, open-pit, mountaintop removal) removes vegetation and soil.
- Subsurface mining is more dangerous for workers.
- Acid mine drainage: water reacts with exposed sulfides, making acidic runoff with heavy metals.
- Reclamation restores mined land.
Practice
Acid mine drainage results from:
Makes sulfuric acid.
Mountaintop removal mining fills valleys with waste, which:
Debris in streams.
As high-quality ore runs out, mining:
Lower ore grades.
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