Coal is solid black or black brownish in color mineral formed beneath the earth through sedimentation process from remains of death plants. Geologically it takes hundred million years for the coal formation and need of heavy expenditure for the extraction process since coal can be found several feet beneath the earth. Depth of the coal reserve determines the method of coal extraction. Surface mining method is more convenient if the reserve or coal seam is less than 200 feet beneath and underground mining method is opted if the reserve lies beyond 200 feet below the surface. Surface mining involves removing of shallow coal over a broad area where the land is fairly flat. Huge dragline shovels commonly remove rocks overlying the coal (called …show more content…
Surface mining can lead to the drastic changes of landscapes, destruction of habitat, damages to water supplies, and air pollution. Also the loss or degradation of forest further degrades groundwater because coal seams are often serve as underground aquifers, removal of coal beds may result in drastic changes in hydrology after mining has been completed. Moreover, surface mining causes green house gas emission since mountaintop removal releases large amounts of carbon through clear cutting and burning of trees. Beside, liquid coal known as sludge is generated by washing coal. It is typically disposed of at impoundments located near coal mines, but in some cases it is directly injected into abandoned underground mines. Since coal sludge contains toxins, leaks or spills can endanger underground and surface waters. The coal mining activities have exposed rocks containing the sulphur-bearing mineral pyrite. Pyrite reacts with air and water to form sulphuric acid and dissolved iron, and as water washes through mines, this compound forms a dilute acid, which can wash into nearby rivers and streams called Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). The transportation of coal is another issue because coal is often transported via trucks, railroads, and large cargo ships, which release air pollution such as soot and can lead to disasters that ruin the environment. (Environmental Impacts of
Storm water runoff is the biggest polluter of streams, creeks, rivers and ocean water systems. “Nationwide, storm water is a leading source of water pollution. About thirteen percent of U.S. rivers, eighteen percent of lakes and thirty-two percent of estuaries are classified as impaired by storm water, which means they are rendered unsafe for swimming or fishing. It also contributes to the degradation of many other waterways” (Coefield, 2010, p.1). The improperly disposed coal waste from Duke Energy easily percolates through t...
Roughly 68 percent of the electricity generated in the United States of America is produced by fossil fuels. That includes petroleum, natural gases and coal. Although coal contributes around 37 percent to the factor, it is by far not the cleanest of them all. Some might argue that it is good for the economy because it is cheap and it creates jobs.. But the other side of the story portrays coal mining as a process that kills thousands of coal miners a year and that it practically destroys the environment around the mining with soot and air pollution. Mining now days is a big part of urbanization; due to how cheap the process is. There are different ways that coal mining is done. Mainly mountain top removal is done but there are many other
Taconite mining has become more popular ever since the rock has become rare. Taconite was once considered “waste rock,” but is currently really valuable. Since the Gogebic Iron Range has about three-fourths of all the taconite in the nation people from all over the country want to take over and start mining. Although taconite mining would do some good for the community, such as creating tons of jobs and boosting the economy for awhile, there are too many risks. Taconite mining has a negative effect on the environment and health.
Coal also can be very damaging to the environment. People in the coal industry don’t always follow the precautions needed for helping the recovering environment that coal mining hurt. Most of the time water is polluted from the byproduct the is produced while mining coal. Like acid mine drainage, air pollution from coal-fired power plants, coal dust, coal sludge, and mountaintop
...elled by above diamond formations. First, diamonds were existed at least at the era when first continents were formed and they have found at the 100-150 km beneath the crust in the mantle. However, coal is sedimentary rock from dead remains vegetation like trees and it must have formed after continents were formed. Second, oceanic plates mainly subduct under continental one due to high dense and the main sources of carbon are limestone, dolomite, and marble. Third, tiny diamonds were formed outside of the earth and collision with meteorites took place before life was existed on the earth. From those evidences, coal can not be diamonds.
It is made up of sedimentary and organic rock which is composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Coal is straight from the ground, which also gives many men and women jobs as well as risking their lives working on the unknown underground. There are multiple ways to convert coal into energy we use in an everyday basis. The first step is the first stage of turning coal into electricity, grinding the coal into fine powder and so forth. There are pros that come from the underground such as creating over four hundred thousand volts. As of today they are growing in large economies. They say, "the cheaper the better". In this case, using coal, "the cheaper it is, the less your guaranteed". More than 1.1 billion tons are being made as of 2007. An estimated five billion people work in China 's coal mining industry. As many as 20,000 miners die in accidents each year. Yes, they do give plenty of people the opportunity of some sort of work with good pay, but it has its downfall as well such as deaths, that are pretty unexplainable. The number one con that coal causes, has to be pollution. Pollution can start from anything like throwing a water bottle after a long practice, or chemically, like a cigarette you throw out of your car. Pollution is already exposed by the refineries, factories and diesel vehicles. Pollution is the start of what changes the color and texture of our land and ocean. The coal companies use water to create the steam in the boiler taking out water from a lake, after they are finished with the water from the boiler some toxins get in the water and released into our oceans and seas. Plus, the burning of coal which is called ash, that we humans inhale even though we might not see it. Think of it as a dark, smoky layer in the bubble called an atmosphere, and we are stuck standing in the middle. Some coal mining companies are getting a bargain on federal land and skirting export royalties,
...d of in liquid form at large surface impoundments and in solid form at landfills. When burned it releases toxins into the air causing air pollution. When spilled it can release arsenic, lead and mercury into local drinking water systems contaminating water and causing deformities in water life. On the other hand, some see it as a valuable resource for constructing buildings and saving taxpayer’s money. However way coal ash may be viewed, there is evidence that serious health and environmental effects are a result of leac. There have been Overall, coal ash can present major health and environmental problems for the present and future if regulation is not established. Coal ash contains many harmful toxins that can negatively affect residents that live near coal ash disposal sites. These effects can result in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory.
Coal is formed from remains of vegetation that grew hundreds of millions of years ago. A majority of our coal was formed about 300 million years ago. During this time, most of the earth was covered with steamy swamps. As time passed, the remains of dead plants and trees sank to the bottom of these swamps. These layers of dead plant remains eventually become a dense and soggy substance known as peat. Throughout time, seas and rivers allowed sand, clay, and other mineral deposits to layer upon the peat. The increase of this process eventually caused the substance to form into coal.
Coal has a very negative impact on the environment, one of the main impacts on the environment is the actual process of extracting the coal from the ground. The two ways that coal is mined, underground and surface, both have different effects on the environment. The first way that coal is mined is by digging tunnels and creating mineshafts underground and then removing the coal from th...
In her book Coal A Human History, Barbara Freese states "The mundane mineral that built our global economyand even today powers our electrical plantshas also caused death, disease, and environmental destruction" (front flap) Today, coal provides for more than 55% of the electricity generated in the U.S. (Cullen, Robert Vol.272) Coal miners have had one of the most dangerous jobs in history before government regulation. Many miners had to work underground for 10 + hours a day and 6 days a week(Cobb, James "Coal") The number of deaths per year is the equivalent of a Titanic going down in the nation's coal fields each year (Turkington, Carol) According to James Cobb from the World Book Online Reference Center mine safety involves four main types of problems including accidents involving machinery, roof and rib failures, accumulations of gases and concentrations of coal dust.
When this coal is burned it releases sulfur and other toxic air pollutants. While mining for coal is also incredibly dangerous, as is oil drilling offshore. Between the two since the year 2000, there have been over 522 deaths of oil drilling and transport, as well as miners and the office workers of those mines. As these numbers continue to climb with the years the families of these men and women who have lost their lives to these occupations will never be able to see their wives, husbands, sons, and daughters again, as the bodies of these accidents are almost never found. There are further reasons that global climate change has become a problem, including the release of greenhouse gases. A greenhouse gas is classified as “any of various gaseous compounds (such as carbon dioxide or methane) that absorb infrared radiation, trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the greenhouse effect.” (Merriam Webster). Methane is a large contributor to the rise in greenhouse gases on earth with 14.4 percent of it coming from livestock, most of that livestock being cows and other bovine animals, such as the buffalo, and the
What does it take to succeed in college? Many people would attribute success in college to intelligence. They believe the level of one's brainpower determines their success in education and ultimately in life. However, this is not the case. Good study and learning skills are the major determinants of success in higher education. There are two major types of learning: deep and surface learning and both are essentials to succeed in higher education today.
Impacts of coal mining are visible by landscapes that lack the beauty of a mountainous backdrop and landscapes that are void of any trees or plants. These areas are left barren by the excavating of the earth in order to reveal the coal hidden underneath (Theilmann, 2015). In conjunction with the impact on the environment, various health issues have arisen, along with the heightened issues of safety. Black lung, a respiratory disease, and mine accidents are responsible for thousands of mine workers being injured or even killed every year. These deaths are a result of suffocation from poisonous gases found within the mines and explosions that lead to the collapsing of mines roofs. The mortality rates of workers in the coal mining industry has one of the highest ranks in the industrial sector of mining (Joyce, 1998). As evident, the destruction left behind by the mining of coal is detrimental to the environment and has a huge impact on the welfare of the mine workers employed by the coal mining
When coal gets burned they start to release harmful dangerous toxins such as mercury, lead and arsenic that will then escape into the air. It also releases large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. These emissions increase the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.
In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.