Introduction Mountaintop mining is a form of surface mining that involves the mining of the summit of a mountain. Mineral resource seams are usually extracted from the mountain by removal of the overburden above the seams. The Appalachian Mountains mining demonstrate this method where coal is mined in the US. The extraction of coal in these mountains employs explosives that are used to remove about 120 meters of the mountain so as to expose the underlying coal seams (EPA, 2005). The soil as well as excess rocks, which are loaded with toxic byproducts originating from mining usually, are dumped in the nearby valleys as valley fills. This method is different from the traditional underground mining where a shaft is dug and the miners collect seams using different methods therefore leaving the majority of overburden to be undisturbed. Mountaintop mining has severe environmental effects as well as loss of biodiversity and …show more content…
This is because mountaintop mining has continued to damage the ecosystem therefore endangering the habitat for endangered species (Burns, 2005). Even though the mining operators comply with the federal laws provided the complexity of the species, their ecosystems cannot be maintained. The mountaintop mining has continued to negatively impact the lives of endangered species and therefore, a requirement has been put in place that allows institutions concerned with the environment to conduct surveys for any potential of endangered species (Reis, 2009). This offers guidelines on how mining is to be conducted without potential effects to the endangered species. Although there is need for consultation regarding endangered species during the process of extraction, it is rarely done and thus the destruction of the ecosystem