Contour Surface Mining

Contour mining is practiced in areas where it is uneconomical to remove all the overburden from a coal seam or series of coal seams.  In contour mining, surface mining machinery follows the contours of a coal seam or seams around a ridge excavating the overburden and recovering the coal seam or seams as a “contour bench” around the mountain is created. Excavation proceeds inward towards the mountain to a pre-determined depth.  Contour mining results in excavation areas or “contour cuts” that wrap around mountaintops or ridgelines parallel to the contour of a given mountain or ridge line.  Contour cuts may be conducted on multiple seams on a ridge or mountain side, stepping upward in elevation much like a layer cake pattern.  In multiple seam contour mining, the cuts for multiple seams extend deeper into the mountainside moving upwards towards the ridge top.  Figure A-7 is a photograph of an active contour mine in West Virginia.  The photograph in Figure A-8 shows active contour mining along with reclaimed areas.