7.3.2: Contour Mining | GEOG 000
Mountaintop removal is another submethod of contour mining where a flat lying coal seam occurs near a mountain top and outcrops on opposite sides of a hill. When the overburden is sufficiently thin (less than 165 feet) across the hill, the deposit can be mined from outcrop to outcrop. In this method the hill is completely removed and the spoil ...