APES MINING/GEOLOGY/DIVERSITY
REVIEW EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+ 2025/2026
Open Pit Mining - ANS (surface mining)
- Extracting ore, coal, stone, etc. by digging holes/burrows into earth
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Toxic groundwater collects at bottom of hole
--> Contaminated runoff w/ waste metals can enter water supply
Dredging - ANS (surface mining)
- Underwater removal of sediments and materials at bottom of body of water to deepen it for
boats/ship travel, etc.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> harms biodiversity
--> alters water turbidity
can spread contaminants further through water
Area Strip Mining - ANS (surface mining)
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,- On a flat surface, overburden (or spoil/waste) is stripped away and then a machine shovel is
used to cut into the earth to remove the mineral.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Leaves behind highly-erodible rubble hills called "spoil banks" --> pollute nearby streams
--> Clears forests and destroys habitats and agricultural land
Contour Strip Mining - ANS (surface mining)
- Removing overburden over mineral deposit on hills or mountains that follows the contour of
the hilly landscape.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Leaves behind highly erodible banks called "highwalls"
--> Destroys forests
--> Nearby water sources contaminated by dumping from excavated site
Mountaintop Removal Mining (or MTR) - ANS (surface mining)
- Machinery removing the top ridge of a mountain to expose the coal beneath.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Waste rock and dirt dumped into streams & valleys below
--> Causes deforestation
--> Emits huge Carbon footprint
**Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) - ANS - What does this law
say?:
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, U.S. Federal law regulating the environmental impacts of coal mining --> regulates mining sites
and later their reclamation --> special consideration give to agriculturally useful areas. (govt.
pays for some of their reclamation)
- Who enforces it?:
The Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
(part of the Department of the Interior)
Underground Coal Mining - ANS (sub-surface mining)
- Digging shafts/passages into the ground that follow coal seems that are deeper in ground.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Contamination of groundwater
--> air pollution from dust/soot
land subsidence (sinking of land above old mining area)
Room & Pillar Mining - ANS (sub-surface mining)
- Underground mining where horizontal passages are created through the excavation of "rooms
of ore" where "pillars" of untouched rock/ore are left to support passages.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Potential for erosion and runoff contamination, etc.
Longwall Mining - ANS (sub-surface mining)
- A huge wall of coal is mined by shears slicing into the wall face and being dumped onto
conveyor belts.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
REVIEW EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+ 2025/2026
Open Pit Mining - ANS (surface mining)
- Extracting ore, coal, stone, etc. by digging holes/burrows into earth
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Toxic groundwater collects at bottom of hole
--> Contaminated runoff w/ waste metals can enter water supply
Dredging - ANS (surface mining)
- Underwater removal of sediments and materials at bottom of body of water to deepen it for
boats/ship travel, etc.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> harms biodiversity
--> alters water turbidity
can spread contaminants further through water
Area Strip Mining - ANS (surface mining)
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,- On a flat surface, overburden (or spoil/waste) is stripped away and then a machine shovel is
used to cut into the earth to remove the mineral.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Leaves behind highly-erodible rubble hills called "spoil banks" --> pollute nearby streams
--> Clears forests and destroys habitats and agricultural land
Contour Strip Mining - ANS (surface mining)
- Removing overburden over mineral deposit on hills or mountains that follows the contour of
the hilly landscape.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Leaves behind highly erodible banks called "highwalls"
--> Destroys forests
--> Nearby water sources contaminated by dumping from excavated site
Mountaintop Removal Mining (or MTR) - ANS (surface mining)
- Machinery removing the top ridge of a mountain to expose the coal beneath.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Waste rock and dirt dumped into streams & valleys below
--> Causes deforestation
--> Emits huge Carbon footprint
**Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) - ANS - What does this law
say?:
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, U.S. Federal law regulating the environmental impacts of coal mining --> regulates mining sites
and later their reclamation --> special consideration give to agriculturally useful areas. (govt.
pays for some of their reclamation)
- Who enforces it?:
The Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
(part of the Department of the Interior)
Underground Coal Mining - ANS (sub-surface mining)
- Digging shafts/passages into the ground that follow coal seems that are deeper in ground.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Contamination of groundwater
--> air pollution from dust/soot
land subsidence (sinking of land above old mining area)
Room & Pillar Mining - ANS (sub-surface mining)
- Underground mining where horizontal passages are created through the excavation of "rooms
of ore" where "pillars" of untouched rock/ore are left to support passages.
- Environmental Impacts:
--> Potential for erosion and runoff contamination, etc.
Longwall Mining - ANS (sub-surface mining)
- A huge wall of coal is mined by shears slicing into the wall face and being dumped onto
conveyor belts.
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
