Strip Mining At Black Thunder Thermal Coal Mine Stock Photography

`Strip mining` is the practice of mining a seam of mineral, by first removing a long strip of overlying soil and rock the overburden. It is most commonly used to mine coal and lignite brown coal. Strip mining is only practical when the ore body to be excavated is relatively near the surface. This type of mining uses some of the largest machines on earth, including bucket-wheel excavators which can move as much as 12,000 cubic meters of earth per hour.