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First Published:
Jan 2015, 480 pages
Paperback:
Jan 2016, 496 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Kim Kovacs
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This article relates to The Secret Wisdom of the Earth
According to the World Coal Association, the global annual haul for hard coal is over 6000 million tons, with the top five producers being China, the United States, India, Australia and South Africa.
Coal mining is usually broken up into two categories: Surface (also known as opencast) and underground. The latter currently accounts for a greater percentage of the world's coal production, but its popularity depends on the country; in the United States, for example, surface mining is the method more widely used.
The choice of method largely depends on the geology of the coal deposit. Surface mining, used when when the ore is near the surface, can recover nearly 90% of the coal in a deposit. In this method, the strata covering the coal (known as the overburden) is broken up by explosives and hauled away. Once the seam is exposed, it's drilled and fractured so that the coal ore can be loaded on to large trucks or conveyor belts for transportation.
Surface mining can be subdivided into several types:
Underground mining is the type of operation most think of when the subject of mining is broached. Heavy equipment drills holes in the ground to reach deep deposits and laborers work underground to extract the coal deposit. Most of the heavy work these days is done by machines.
There are two general types of underground mining techniques:
Both these types can be established by using either a drift (which is a tunnel dug horizontally); a slope (dug from the surface on an angle down to the deposit); or a shaft (drilled vertically and employing an elevator to reach the lowest levels).
In some countries including the United States, coal mining companies are required to restore areas they've disturbed during the mining operation. These lands are replanted and re-purposed for cropland, wildlife habitat, industrial use or recreation.
Picture of Wyoming surface mine by Focal Point
Picture of Continuous Miner from Wikipedia
This "beyond the book article" relates to The Secret Wisdom of the Earth. It originally ran in July 2015 and has been updated for the
January 2016 paperback edition.
"Berlin's new book is a marvel, filled with deeply touching stories about lives on the fringes."—NPR
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