What are two types of coal mining?

Answer 1

Surface mining is used to produce most of the coal because it is less expensive than underground mining. Surface mining can be used when the coal is buried less than 200 feet underground.

In surface mining, giant machines remove the top soil and layers of rock known as "overburden" to expose the coal seam. Once the mining is finished, the dirt and rock are returned to the pit, the topsoil is replaced, and the area is replanted.

Underground mining, sometimes called deep mining, is used when the coal is buried several hundred feet below the surface. Some underground mines are 1,000 feet deep. To remove coal in these underground mines, miners ride elevators down deep mine shafts where they run machines that dig out the coal.

Answer 2

1. Surface mining: Coal is extracted from the earth's surface using equipment like strip mining or open-pit mining.
2. Underground mining: Coal is extracted from beneath the earth's surface through tunnels and shafts using methods like longwall mining or room and pillar mining.