Question

How is coal extracted from mountaintop removal mines?

Answer 1

Answer: Dynamite is used to break apart rocks and then draglines are used to remove the broken rock and reach the coal.

Explanation:

Mountaintop removal is also referred to as valley fill and this is a mining practice whereby mountain tops are removed, which then exposes seams of coal. In order to achieve this, about give hundred feet or more of the summit if the mountain can be removed in order to get the seams of coal.

Coal is extracted from mountaintop removal mines when dynamite is used to break apart rocks and then draglines are used to remove the broken rock and reach the coal. When this is done, then the earth from the top of the mountain will then be dumped in neighboring valleys.