How is Wyoming Coal Mined?
Before award-winning reclamation can be planted, the coal must first be mined. However, before coal can be removed from the ground, the topsoil and dirt above the coal has to be removed. The topsoil is removed using scrapers. Generally, the topsoil is removed AHEAD of the pit and carried around BEHIND the pit and placed on reclaimed areas (or backfill). The dirt which lays on top of the coal (or overburden) follows the same pattern. The overburden is approximately 120 feet thick and is excavated in three, 40-foot benches. (Just click to see and hear a shovel loading a truck.
