Question

What is most likely to happen to an abandoned strip mine over time?

Answer 1

The strip is inclined to partially recover but never recover to its primary state.

In the past, strip-mined ore deposits which turned debilitated or unprofitable to mine often were totally left abandoned. The result was a dry,lunar-like scenery of spoil heaps opposed to natural vegetation and usually inappropriate for any important land use. Such spoil fields are now routinely recovered and perpetual vegetation restored as an essential part of surface-mining methods. Generally, reclamation is accomplished concurrently with mining.

Answer 2

The most likely thing to happen to an abandoned strip mine over time is that the strip is likely to partly recover, but never return to its original state.