SURFACE MINING

I Made Bhismahayana
DBD 115
Lia Klarita
DBD 115
Widi Novianti
DBD 115 023

MINING METHODS

There are mainly two method for extraction of

minerals which are as follows .

1.

Underground Mining
Surface Mining

2.

Factors influencing choice of mining

methods

Depth of the deposit

Shape of the deposit
Thickness of the deposit
Gradient of the deposit
Availability of machineries
Economic value of minerals
Characteristics of roof and
floor
Land contour

SURFACE MINING

Surface mining is done by removing (stripping) surface

vegetation, dirt, and if necessary, layers of bedrock in order
to reach buried ore deposits (or) surface mining is the
process of extraction of minerals by removal of overburden .
Overburden is the rock or waste material which is lying on
the mineral to be owned .
Surface mining is also know as , Open pit, Open cast and
Strip Mining.
Sump should be located at the bottom of the Mine .
Height and width of the bench .
Drilling and blasting .

METHOD OF SURFACE MINING INCLUDES

Open-pit mining : Open pit mining is the process of mining a near

surface deposit by means of a surface pit excavated using one or more
horizontal benches. The term open pit mining is usually used for
metallic or non-metallic deposits and sparingly used for bedded
deposits like coal.
Quarrying : similar to open pit mining, except that the desired product
is not metal in the rock, but the rock itself.
Strip mining : Strip mining is a kind of surface mining. The ore is very
near to the surface of the land but has one or more layers of rock and
filth on top of it. To mine the ore, these layers have to be removed.
Mountaintop removal : Commonly associated with coal mining, which
involves taking the top of a mountain off to reach ore deposits at
depth.

OPEN PIT

The ores in an open pit mine are covered by overburden. Both the ores
and overburden are removed in benches ranging from height 9 m to 30 m.
A thin deposit may require one or few benches but a thick deposit needs
more number of benches and the pit in its production stage resembles like

Materials typically extracted from

open-pit mines include:

Bitumen
Clay
Coal
Copper
Coquina
Diamonds
Gravel andstone(stone refers to bedrock, while gravel is
unconsolidated material)
Granite
Gritstone
Gypsum
Limestone
Marble
Metal ores, such ascopper,iron,gold,silver andmolybdenum
Uranium
Phosphate

QUARRY

1. Most quarries have smaller and vertical benches.

Some of the quarries do not have any bench
while
some even have a highwall up to 300m.
2. Quarries in level areas frequently have particular
engineering problems for drainage.
The Coquina
Quarry is excavated to more than 60 feet (18 m)
beneath sea level. To lessen surface leakage, a
moat
lined with clay was constructed round the
complete quarry. Ground water that leaks into the pit
is pumped up into the moat.
3. Many quarries fill with water after desertion and
turn into lakes. Further quarries are
made into
landfills.

Kinds of rock extracted from quarries

comprise:

Cinder
Chalk
China Clay
Clay
Coal
Coquina
Construction aggregate (sand and gravel)
Globigerina Limestone (Malta)
Granite
Gritstone
Gypsum
Limestone
Marble
Ores
Phosphate rock

STRIP MINING

Kind of minerals extracted from strip mining as similar as other

types of surface mining. but it is done on a different contour

The steps in strip mining are similar to

open-pit mining. The steps are:

The trees and bushes are pushed down through bulldozers.

This waste, along with the filth or sand under it, is taken to a close area and
dumped.

Lots of minute holes are drilled from the rock that is above the coal or mineral
bed [vein]

Explosives are put in the holes and blazed. This breaks up the rock which is
taken to the dumping area.

When the coal or mineral is found, it may be broken up by the blazing. The
size of the chunks is important because the miners don't normally want it in
minute pieces. They usually want it in pieces that are capable to be moved
with big machinery.

This mining is done in elongated, narrow strips. When the ore is done in one
strip, the miners start to create another strip next to it. The waste, filth, and
rock that they take off of the top of the next strip is put on top of the last one.

TheBagger 288is abucket-wheel excavator used in strip mining.

MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL

MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL (MTR) or

MOUNTAIN TOP MINING (MTM)
The MTR process involves the removal ofcoal
seamsby first fully removing theoverburdenlaying
atop them, exposing the seams from above. This
method differs from more traditionalunderground
mining, where typically a narrow shaft is dug which
allows miners to collect seams using various
underground methods, while leaving the vast
majority of the overburden undisturbed. The
overburden from MTR is either placed back on the
ridge, attempting to reflect the approximate
original contour of the mountain,and/or it is moved
into neighboring valleys.

US EPA diagram of mountaintop mining:

"Step 1.Layers of rock and dirt above the coal
(called overburden) are removed."
"Step 2.The upper seams of coal are removed with
spoils placed in an adjacent valley."
"Step 3.Draglines excavate lower layers of coal
with spoils placed in spoil piles."
"Step 4.Regrading begins as coal excavation
continues."
"Step 5.Once coal removal is completed, final

ENVIRONMENTAL & HEALT

IMPACT

The Hobet mine in West

Virginia taken by
NASALANDSATin 1984

The Hobet mine in West

Virginia taken by
NASALANDSATin 2009

Advocates of MTR claim that once the areas are reclaimed as

mandated by law, the area can provide flat land suitable for many
uses in a region where flat land is at a premium. They also maintain
that the new growth on reclaimed mountaintop mined areas is better
suited to support populations of game animals.While some of the
land is able to be turned into grassland which game animals can live
in, the amount of grassland is minimal. The land does not retake the
form it had before the MTR.

stated in the book, Bringing Down the Mountains:

"Some of the main problems associated with MTR include

soil depletion, sedimentation, low success rate of tree
regrowth, lack of successful revegetation, displacement of
native wildlife, and burial of streams.
The ecological benefits after MTR are far below the level of
the original land.

Different Type of Machinery and

Transport System Used in Surface
Mines

Drill Machine
Shovel + Dumper
Dragline
Surface Miner
Bucket Wheel Excavator
In-pit Crusher + Spreader
Belt Conveyors System
Rail Transport System
Tracks

SHOVEL + DUMPER

DRAGLINE

SURFACE MINER

BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR

Advantages of Surface Mining

Like Underground Mining no minerals are blocked as

shaft pillars , supports , roadways etc.
Roof control and ventilation is not required .
Low cost as compared to Underground Mining .
Low labor requirement than Underground Mining.
Hazards and dangers are lesser than Underground Mining .
Quality control is easy .
Female labour can work in Surface Mining.
High degree of mechanization is possible .
High explosives can be used .

Limitation of Surface Mining

This method can be uneconomic for extracting the

minerals at a depth of more than 300 m .
There maybe huge environmental problems .
Weather affects .
Limited by striping ratio.
Require a remote area for mine waste disposal .
Degradation of surface land .

CONCLUSION

About 85% of the world coal is obtained by open

cast mining method .
By this method, more production can be obtained
than underground mining method.
Greater simplicity in auxiliary operation and service
.

Mining is one of the environmentally

damaging job. But very important in
industrial needs and development of the
country. If we become indifferent from what
we have done to the earth, the money we
earn from our land will be useless. We kill
ourself not only the earth

THANKYOU