How Strip Mining impacts the environment
Strip mining may degrade the productive capacity of the land surrounding a dig site. Spoil placed on adjacent land that has not been properly prepared may erode and cover topsoil or introduce toxic materials to the soil. Because of the large, heavy machinery it takes to dig away the vast amounts of land needed to reach the intended product, improper care of such vehicles can lead to chemical runoff which can make its way into neighbor lands.
Mining also may alter the natural topography of the area in ways that prevent a return to the previous land use, such as farming. In order to reach the coal deep within the earth, soil is removed in layers that for a sort of stairs down into the ground. These holes are vast and intrusive. Returning the soil from the mined area to full productivity is especially important in the Midwest, where some of the world's most prime farmland is now being mined for the coal that lies beneath it. However, doing so is especially hard considering soil that was once there has now been disturbed and eroded to the point where returning the land to a farm-able state is nearly impossible.
Mining also may alter the natural topography of the area in ways that prevent a return to the previous land use, such as farming. In order to reach the coal deep within the earth, soil is removed in layers that for a sort of stairs down into the ground. These holes are vast and intrusive. Returning the soil from the mined area to full productivity is especially important in the Midwest, where some of the world's most prime farmland is now being mined for the coal that lies beneath it. However, doing so is especially hard considering soil that was once there has now been disturbed and eroded to the point where returning the land to a farm-able state is nearly impossible.