Abstract
In this chapter we discuss the challenges faced by restoration practitioners (RPs) aiming to rehabilitate lands disturbed by open-cut coal mining operations. Large deposits of coal occur around the globe, notably in Australia, China, North America, and Russia. Coal deposits formed during Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic geologic periods. Coals vary from soft brown (lignite), to soft black (bituminous), to hard black (anthracite). In many areas coal deposits lie exposed, or near the earth’s surface, where they can be efficiently and economically extracted by open-cut (often referred to as open-cast) mining operations (figure 8.1). To reach coal deposits near the earth’s surface, open-cut mining operations remove over-burden (regolith) materials to create large and extensive piles of waste material called spoil (figure 8.2).
An example of an open-cut coal mining operation where massive drag-lines are used to strip away soil and over-burden and expose the coal layer.
A typical open-cut coal mining operation that has created extensive piles of spoil (over-burden). Note the erosion on the steep slopes of these spoil piles. The road on the top indicates that these spoil piles are up to 50 m high.
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References
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© 2011 David J. Tongway and John A. Ludwig
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Tongway, D.J., Ludwig, J.A. (2011). Restoring Landscapes after Open-Cut Coal Mining. In: Restoring Disturbed Landscapes. The Science and Practice of Ecological Restoration. Island Press, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-007-1_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-007-1_8
Publisher Name: Island Press, Washington, DC
Online ISBN: 978-1-61091-007-1
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