Can someone answer my question? There has been issue in some country that mining will eventually ruin nature's gift yet mining will always have a big contribution when it comes to economic contribution and growth.

if handled right, mining can be helpful nor ruin the beautiful world that we live in. If the mine is a strip mine, if the reclamation goes right, the land can be even better than it was before the mining.

Though I am unclear as to your definition of "nature's gift", many activities if done in excess can eventually have a detrimental effect on the environment. It goes without saying that the automobile was certainly a novel idea that revolutionized the world. But no one at the time could have imagined so much of the world would eventually be paved over. The introduction of paved roads opened the door to suburbs, forests cleared and other aggressive development, permanently altering the landscape, and the balance of nature.

Agriculture for example, has wreaked plenty of havoc on nature. According to the USDA's 2002 Census of Agriculture, 41.4% of land in the United States was used for farming, and an ever-increasing population will only demand that this number increase. When you consider that up until relatively recent times, most mining has been done underground and mostly out of sight, it seems relatively minor compared to agriculture, roads and other visible development.

But of course you cannot have one without the other and as you pointed out, mining will always and has always contributed to economic growth. As for strip mining, I have seen beautifully reclaimed sites such as Crystal Springs in Vernon, NJ which boasts luxurious condominiums, a golf course, and an artificially created lake before a backdrop of steep strip mined cliffs. I found it to look beautiful, and apparently so do the many affluent residents, many of whom probably assume this landscape is natural. I have also seen many not so nice looking reclamations that after forest re-growth, will twist your ankle trying to navigate through because the top layer was left as jagged, slaty and slippery rocks.

When the scale of an activity becomes so great that it starts to affect people, animals and other life, in such a way that it causes proportionally more harm than good, whether immediately or down the road, then I suppose you could say it is being ruined. In my opinion, it is all maintaining balance and making sure these essential activities are properly managed.

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"If you thought old, abandoned mines were only in the west, then you haven't been to IronMiners.com!"

Well said! But even underground mining can hahe harm to the above ground environment. In Pennsylvania, abandoned coal mines cause subsidences. Taken directly from the Underground Miners website (http://www.undergroundminers.com/index.html) the definition of a subsidence is thus: For those of you that aren't familiar with the term, a subsidence is caused when the workings of a mine collapse and the ground above tries to fill in the space, leaving a gaping hole. When vertical shafts were sealed, hundreds of tons of rock were dumped down the shaft and a concrete cap was placed over the top. After awhile the concrete breaks down and the rocks settle and fall into the mine. Couldn't have put it better myself! Basically, when an abandoned mine's supports collapse, the ground above trys to fill the hole left by the mine, so you get a hole.

Strip mining prevents forest fires.

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Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Yep, and underground mines are harder for hippies to find.

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jdr

AMEN!

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I don't have all the answers.
I don't even know all the questions!

Got that sticker on the back window of my truck! Haha

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Come over to the Dark Side....... We have Cookies!

Where can I get one of those? (have one that says "It's all fun and games until someone farts. Then, hey, Free gas!") I have another that I really pissed off my teacher by applying to his car that reads "I'm only speeding because I really have to poop"!

Miner Dave, if your usage of the word "supports" is not meant to imply strictly to timber and steel sets, stulls (otherwise known as props in much of Appalachia), concrete and other manmade supports, then you would be correct. Additional means of support include pillars (ore or coal left in place to support underground workings) and careful mining methods such as filling workings with waste material and the excavation of workings in a shape and manner that more evenly distributes the weight and pressure of the surrounding rock. Hence, some subsidences are attributed to "robbing the pillars", a term used to describe the mining of pillars. After they are removed, the structural integrity of the cavity may fail. If the cavity is too close to the surface, this may eventually result in a subsidence.

Excellent point Chris! Strip mines do prevent forest fires, and when the strip mine is flooded, it can be used as a source of water to extinguish fires!

John, but not all hippies dislike mines. Check out Madrid, an old anthracite coal mining town located along the route of the historic Turquiose Trail in New Mexico. After mining operations shut down, the "counter-culture" moved in. They restored the entire mining town from what was essentially a ghost town, built a coal mining museum, and aptly titled their local dive, the Mine Shaft Tavern. There are a few shops that sell minerals including freshly mined turquoise, and a handful of mining relics can be seen throughout town including a 1900 steam train. Of course there is also an herbal shop, a large art community and other stereotypical indicators of "hippiedom" to be fearful of. We visited Madrid on our honeymoon and had a great time chatting with the shop owners, tourists, and the locals.

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"If you thought old, abandoned mines were only in the west, then you haven't been to IronMiners.com!"

I meant what you said, everything that may be used to hold up the roof of the tunnels. (pillars, props, etc.)

Mr. Friborg?

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

Who?

You can actually read two different meanings into this. The obvious is that we need more mining. But it could also be considered a critique of some western political groups who want more logging in the National Forests "to prevent forest fires". I have studied forestry somewhat and logging does NOT PREVENT FOREST FIRES!!!! If anything, it can make them worse because after the best timber has been harvested, inferior materials are left behind that are more flammable.

Now, controlled burning CAN help prevent serious conflagrations, that is true. But I'm not sure that the success of controlled burning can be used as a precedent to prevent fires by increasing logging.

In any event, I personally tend to favor underground mining. In spite of the subsidence issues, underground mining does disrupt the surface environment less. It is also probably much less dangerous today than it has been in the past AND an added bonus is that it leaves behind a mysterious labrynth for people to explore! Not that *I* would ever do anything like that, you understand.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain