• Coal Mining Investigation
Activity 3
• Coal Mining Investigation
Objective Students will research and report on the different methods of coal mining .
Materials Internet access , resource books , resource people .
Procedure Introduce basic methods of coal mining : surface mining and underground mining .
Types of surface mining : -Area or mountain top mining is done in relatively flat locations . Coal is removed in one location at a time with large machines such as draglines . -Contour mining is done where coal is located in hills or mountains . Coal is excavated in circular tracks around the landscape .
Types of underground mining : -Longwall mining is used to remove most of the coal in an area underground . A longwall mining machine cuts wide tunnels with rotating disks of steel teeth . Large steel jacks must be used to support the roof to prevent it from collapsing . -Room and pillar mining involves removing part of the coal in an underground site . Much coal is left untouched to support the roof of the tunnels . This underground excavation looks like rectangular rooms , divided by coal pillars . Assign research to investigate mining practices , both past and present . Topics should include the basic process of excavating coal , efficiency of operations , health and safety of miners , economic ramifications and environmental impacts . Land reclamation issues should be included . ( Specific dates indicating changes in the industry should be collected for next lesson .) Encourage students to use a variety of resources to gather information , which may include personal interviews of miners . Facilitate class discussion on research findings .
Evaluation Students complete research on mining in written report with references cited .
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