What is Longwall Mining?
Longwall mining refers to the practice of taking a large plow or rotating drum and moving it back and forth across the wall of the coal bed. During this process, coal falls onto a conveyor belt which moves the substance up to the surface. Longwall mining is considered the safest form of mining for workers in the coal industry. Surface Coal Mining A smaller percentage of the world’s coal is currently generated through surface coal mining. That statistic is changing however, as many coal mining companies now find the procedure to be much more cost-effective than underground coal mining. In a surface mining operation, machines removes large strips of soil and rock to reveal the coal buried beneath. Once the coal has been mined (which does NOT require miners to work deep in the earth) the rocks and dirt are returned to where they were originally removed. One other advantage of surface coal mining is the fact that these “replanted” areas can once again be suitable for growing crops and sust
