The diagram below from the U.S. Geological Survey shows the distribution of coal-bearing strata in the Appalachian region study area, which includes Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
Key to the map:
- Dots = corehole locations
- Green = low potential for acid mine drainage (AMD) from surface mining
- Yellow = intermediate AMD potential
- Red = high AMD potential
Note that significant environmental damage from AMD can occur even in areas with low AMD potential.
Source: USGS
July 29th, 2009 by The Cleaner
Acid mine drainage is a global problem. Several thousand AMD pollution sites exist worldwide. In the U.S., AMD from coal mines has adversely impacted over 8,000 miles of streams in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland alone. The problem in the western United States is less studied, but once-pristine watersheds are also now suffering from the effects of AMD.
Cleanup of abandoned mine sites is often challenging because of their remote locations. Unfortunately, without human intervention to clean these toxic locations, AMD problems will persist for hundreds of years until the mineralized rock is leached free of sulfides and metals.
Visit Wikipedia for a list of mining sites and river systems significantly affected by AMD.
July 29th, 2009 by The Cleaner
