Mountaintop mining causing irreparable harm to environment: Scientists

New York, January 8 -- With the growing amount of evidence regarding the threats being posed to the environment by mountaintop mining, environmentalists have urged that the activity should be halted immediately.

In a paper presented in the journal Science, group of scientists headed by Margaret Palmer, a University of Maryland researcher, has stated that mountaintop mining is doing irreparable harm to the environment.

Mountaintop coal mining, common in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern part of the nation, is a form of mining where mountains peaks are removed to access the coal seams below them.

The process involves stripping off forests from top of the mountain. The top is then blasted with explosives to remove up to 400 vertical feet (120 m) of mountain to expose underlying coal seams.

The excess rock and soil is dumped in what is called "holler fills" or "valley fills”.

Hazardous impacts of mountaintop mining
Strengthening the previous studies done in this area, the scientists have stated that the impact of mountaintop mining on the environment and humans is “strong and irrefutable".