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Strip mining is done on the surface. It is the cheapest method for mining, and is fairly simple compared to the other methods.
Vocabulary-
Overburden- The earth and rock that is found on top of the of the layer of deposit.
Process- Removing all of the overburden on the top layer is the first step. Underneath this lies the deposit, which is removed depending on how difficult it is to break it up. If the deposit is harder to remove, it is made softer by explosions such as trinitrotoluene, better known as TNT. It then can be removed by power shovels or rotary excavators. However, the deposit can removed right away without the explosions; only if the deposit is already soft.
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