Coal Mining, Gilette, WY 2008

Large electric powered dragline in the Powder River Basin being used for coal mining. Strip mining is a type of surface mining that involves excavating earth and rock to uncover a layered mineral reserve. The excavation of the overburden (overlying material) is completed in rectangular blocks in pits or strips. This coal is specifically desirbale fo its low sulfur and ash content. Coal supplies about half of the United States' electricity supplies, with the Powder River Basin mines supplying around 40 percent of those supplies.

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Contained in galleries: Mining, Mining & Extraction

Large electric powered dragline in the Powder River Basin being used for coal mining. Strip mining is a type of surface mining that involves excavating earth and rock to uncover a layered mineral reserve. The excavation of the overburden (overlying material) is completed in rectangular blocks in pits or strips. This coal is specifically desirbale fo its low sulfur and ash content. Coal supplies about half of the United States' electricity supplies, with the Powder River Basin mines supplying around 40 percent of those supplies.