Mining

The Problem

Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTM) of coal is one of the most destructive forms of resource extraction, with devastating impacts on Central Appalachian communities and ecosystems. MTM involves clearing forests and using explosives to blast away ridge tops to expose coal seams. The process generates enormous volumes of waste rock, which is dumped into nearby valleys in a practice known as valley fill. Individual valley fills can contain up to 250 million cubic yards of waste material, permanently burying valleys and streams. Valley fills have buried roughly 2,000 miles of streams across Appalachia, posing immediate health and safety risks to local residents, threatening downstream water quality, and degrading or destroying some of the most ecologically significant forest and aquatic habitats on the planet.

Our Solution

We use satellite imagery to map the extent of MTM and to measure post-mining ecological recovery across Central Appalachia. Our annually published dataset details the extent of MTM every year since 1985, using a methodology developed in partnership with Appalachian Voices and Duke University. This method is described in a 2018 PLOS One paper. In 2023, we extended this record back to 1973 by incorporating historic Landsat MSS imagery.

Beyond mapping mine extent, we also analyze the long-term ecological impacts of mines on local ecosystems. In 2021, in collaboration with our partners at Appalachian Voices, we released the Central Appalachian Mine Reforestation Assessment — the first comprehensive assessment of mine land recovery across the region. We expanded on that work in 2022 with our study, Mines to forests? Analyzing long-term recovery trends for surface coal mines in Central Appalachia.

This research brings transparency around the bond release process, a regulatory process where mining companies can be relieved from their reclamation obligations once certain recovery standards are met. By comparing these standards with real recovery outcomes, we help hold industry and regulators accountable for the long-term health of Central Appalachia’s landscapes.

The Impact

Our data and analyses help researchers, advocates, and communities better understand the widespread impacts of surface mining across Central Appalachia. By collaborating with community partners and making our data freely available, we are:

The Future

We are expanding resources to better understand the impacts of mining on the environment and the path towards landscape recovery in formerly mined regions. Alongside our annual updates on mining extent and post-mining recovery, we are developing new research to assess canopy height — a key indicator of mine site recovery — and to map highwall mining operations, which are notoriously costly and difficult to restore. By expanding these datasets in collaboration with community partners, we aim to ensure that the legacy of MTM remains visible, measurable, and accountable.

Jump In

Explore our mountaintop mining data page or get started with our API documentation.