8
QuizMultiple Choice

Minerals and Mining

Question 8 • SC332 Environmental Science B

How is coal extracted from mountaintop removal mines?

Answer
A
Dynamite is used to create underground tunnels where miners go to extract the coal.
B
Dynamite is used to break apart rocks and then draglines are used to remove the broken rock and reach the coal.
C
Coal in mountaintops is extracted by digging strips in the landscape to reach the coal.
D
Placer deposits in mountain river bottoms are removed by sifting through sediment.

Explanation

Mountaintop removal is a form of surface mining. Explosives break apart the rock covering the coal, and large draglines remove that rock so miners can reach the coal seam. Choice B describes this process; underground tunnels, strip mining, and sifting river sediment are different methods.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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