mountaintop removal

Mountaintop removal is a type of surface coal mining that involves clearing forests and vegetation, then blasting and removing rock and soil (overburden) to expose coal seams. This method is often used in hilly or mountainous terrain. The removed overburden is typically dumped into nearby valleys, which can significantly alter the landscape and impact water quality. Auger mining and highwall mining are sometimes used in conjunction with or as an alternative to mountaintop removal to extract more coal from the exposed seam. Coal is then loaded by heavy machinery onto trucks or conveyors for transport.123