Skip to main content
Home

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Main Menu

  • EROS Home
  • Image Gallery
  • Video Library
  • Earthshots
  • Remote Sensing Classroom

Earthshots

  • Earthshots
    • Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia, USA
      • Mining Operations
      • Reclamation
      • Hydrology
  • Download Cards
  • More Information
  • Contact Information
Earthshots Logo

Mining Operations A Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia, USA story

Mining  / 
Mountains
  1. Earthshots
  2. Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia, USA
  3. Mining Operations
Description

Appalachian coal lies underground in thin seams, too thin for underground mine shafts. The only way to extract the coal profitably is with surface mining.

Surface mining involves the removal of soil and rock (overburden in mining terminology) with explosives and heavy machinery to get at the coal. As much as 200–300 meters of overburden is removed. The removed material, also called mine spoils, is used to reconstruct the area after mining operations are done. The removed material takes up more volume and cannot simply be replaced (try digging a hole in your backyard and filling it back in and you’ll discover how this works).

The “excess spoils” must be dumped elsewhere. In Appalachian mountaintop mining, the excess is deposited into valleys. These valley fills are usually located next to—often downstream from—surface mines, burying headwater streams completely. The groundwater and surface waters from the mine often flow through these valley fills before discharging into streams.

Disturbed land is pink in these close-up images of a large mine about 20 miles southwest of Charleston, West Virginia. The natural color image from Sentinel-2 shows more detail in the same area. Active mining is bright in this Sentinel-2 image, and lighter green shades show some reclaimed land.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

July 1, 1975, Landsat 1 (path/row 19/34) —Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

July 1, 1975, Landsat 1 (path/row 19/34) —Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

June 19, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

June 19, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Aug. 27, 1988, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Aug. 27, 1988, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Sep. 21, 1991, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Sep. 21, 1991, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Aug. 31, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Aug. 31, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Aug. 18, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Aug. 18, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

June 2, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

June 2, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

July 17, 2008, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

July 17, 2008, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Sep. 17, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Sep. 17, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

July 23, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

July 23, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Sep. 24, 2016, Sentinel-2 — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Sep. 24, 2016, Sentinel-2 — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

July 1, 1975, Landsat 1 (path/row 19/34) —Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
June 19, 1986, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
Aug. 27, 1988, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
Sep. 21, 1991, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
Aug. 31, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
Aug. 18, 1999, Landsat 7 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
June 2, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
July 17, 2008, Landsat 5 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
Sep. 17, 2013, Landsat 8 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
July 23, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 18/34) — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA
Sep. 24, 2016, Sentinel-2 — Mining operations, West Virginia, USA

Mountaintop Mining, West Virginia, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Hydrology
Hydrology

The effects on the hydrology in the region where mountaintop mining takes place is not well understood—how does this mining activity affect the moveme...

Read More
Reclamation
Reclamation

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires that mined lands be restored to an acceptable land cover. These images show some of th...

Read More
  • DOI Privacy Policy
  • Legal
  • Accessibility
  • Site Map
  • Contact USGS

  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • DOI Inspector General
  • White House
  • E-gov
  • No Fear Act
  • FOIA