Mining in the United States - Wikipedia Mining in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search This article is part of series on the Economy of the United States Economic History Agricultural History Banking history Petroleum history Industrial Revolution in the United States History of the United States dollar Lumber history Tariff History United States dollar History by State Sectors Primary sector Agriculture Energy Petroleum Electricity Mining Fishing Forestry Water and Sanitation Secondary Sector Automotive Iron and Steel Pulp and Paper Tertiary sector Social programs Transportation Tourism Education Gambling Healthcare Insurance Financial services Central Bank Banking Largest Banks Stock exchanges Largest Companies Companies listed on the NYSE Economy by State California Texas New York Florida more... State statistics State Budgets State Credit Ratings State unemployment rate Union Membership Economy by City New York City Los Angeles Chicago Houston Labor Labor Law Child labor Minimum wage Right-to-work law Employment Unemployment(Causes) United States portal v t e Mining in the United States has been active since the beginning of colonial times, but became a major industry in the 19th century with a number of new mineral discoveries causing a series of mining rushes. In 2015, the value of coal, metals, and industrial minerals mined in the United States was US $109.6 billion. 158,000 workers were directly employed by the mining industry.[1] The mining industry has a number of impacts on communities, individuals and the environment. Mine safety incidents have been important parts of American occupational safety and health history. Mining has a number of environmental impacts. In the United States, issues like mountaintop removal, and acid mine drainage have widespread impacts on all parts of the environment. As of January 2020. the EPA lists 142 mines in the Superfund program.[2] Contents 1 History 2 Mining by commodity 3 Mining by mineral 4 Mining by state 5 Mining accidents 6 Environmental impact 6.1 Mountain top removal 6.2 Abandoned mines 7 Controversies 8 See also 9 References History[edit] See also: Carolina Gold Rush, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, US (1799) Georgia Gold Rush, Georgia, US (1828) California Gold Rush, California (1848–1855) Pikes Peak Gold Rush, Pikes Peak, Colorado (1859) Holcomb Valley Gold Rush, California (1860) Black Hills Gold Rush, Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming (1874–1878) Mount Baker Gold Rush, Whatcom County, Washington, United States (1897–1920s) Nome Gold Rush, Nome, Alaska (1899–1909) Fairbanks Gold Rush, Fairbanks, Alaska (1902–1905) Mining by commodity[edit] Top Commodities mined in the US, 2019 Rank Commodity Value, US$ billion 1 Coal 25.1 2 Crushed rock 18.7 3 Cement 12.5 4 Gold 9.0 5 Construction sand and gravel 9.0 6 Copper 7.9 7 Industrial sand and gravel 5.7 8 Iron ore 5.4 Source: US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodities Summaries, 2020.[3] Mining by mineral[edit] Bauxite mining in the United States Coal mining in the United States Copper mining in the United States Gold mining in the United States Iron mining in the United States Molybdenum mining in the United States Phosphate mining in the United States Silver mining in the United States Uranium mining in the United States Zinc mining in the United States Mining by state[edit] Main page: Category:Mining in the United States by state Category:Mining in Alaska Category:Mining in Arizona Category:Mining in California Category:Mining in Colorado Category:Mining in Michigan Category:Mining in Minnesota Category:Mining in Nevada Category:Mining in Pennsylvania Category:Mining in West Virginia Mining accidents[edit] Non-coal mining fatalities in the United States, 1911-2014 (data from US Department of Labor) From 1880 to 1910, mine accidents claimed thousands of fatalities, with more than 3,000 in 1907 alone.[4] Where annual mining deaths had numbered more than 1,000 a year during the early part of the 20th century, they decreased to an average of about 500 during the late 1950s, and to 93 during the 1990s.[5] In addition to deaths, many thousands more are injured (an average of 21,351 injuries per year between 1991 and 1999), but overall there has been a downward trend of deaths and injuries. The Monongah Mining Disaster was the worst mining accident of American history; 362 workers were killed in an underground explosion on December 6, 1907 in Monongah, West Virginia. The U.S. Bureau of Mines was created in 1910 to investigate accidents, advise industry, conduct production and safety research, and teach courses in accident prevention, first aid, and mine rescue. The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Acts of 1969 and 1977 set further safety standards for the industry. In 1959, the Knox Mine Disaster occurred in Port Griffith, Pennsylvania. The swelling Susquehanna river collapsed into a mine under it and resulted in 12 deaths. In Plymouth, Pennsylvania, the Avondale Mine Disaster resulted in the deaths of 108 miners and two rescue workers after a fire in the only shaft eliminated the oxygen in the mine. Federal laws for mining safety ensued this disaster. Pennsylvania suffered another disaster in 2002 at Quecreek, 9 miners were trapped underground and subsequently rescued after 78 hours. During 2006, 72 miners lost their lives at work, 47 by coal mining. The majority of these fatalities occurred in Kentucky and West Virginia, including the Sago Mine Disaster.[6][7] On April 5, 2010, in the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster an underground explosion caused the deaths of 29 miners. Environmental impact[edit] Further information: Environmental impact of mining Mining has environmental impacts at many stages in the process and production of mining. In the United States, man different regions in the United States have environmental challenges caused by either historical or current mining. Mountain top removal[edit] This section is an excerpt from Mountaintop removal mining[edit] Mountaintop removal site Mountaintop removal site in Pike County, Kentucky Mountaintop removal mining (MTR), also known as mountaintop mining (MTM), is a form of surface mining at the summit or summit ridge of a mountain. Coal seams are extracted from a mountain by removing the land, or overburden, above the seams. This process is considered to be safer compared to underground mining because the coal seams are accessed from above instead of underground. In the United States, this method of coal mining is conducted in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. Explosives are used to remove up to 400 vertical feet (120 m) of mountain to expose underlying coal seams. Excess rock and soil is dumped into nearby valleys, in what are called "holler fills" ("hollow fills") or "valley fills".[8][9][10] The practice of MTM has been controversial. While there are economic benefits to this practice, there are also concerns for environmental and human health costs.   Abandoned mines[edit] There are 10,000s of abandoned mines in the United States. Many abandoned mines pose environmental challenges, such as Acid mine drainage. In Colorado alone, there are 18,382 abandoned mines.[11] The United States has had many different environmental disasters caused by these mines, such as the 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill. Many superfund sites are mines. As of January 2020[update]. the EPA lists 142 mines in the Superfund program[2] Controversies[edit] Mines are often controversial in their local areas, with local residents split by those in favor particularly due to the economic impact of new jobs and those concerned by the environmental impact and occupational hazards. In the case of the proposed Crandon mine, the U.S. Supreme Court found that tribes have the right to regulate water and air, which destroyed the economic feasibility of the project.[12] See also[edit] List of mines in the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration United States Bureau of Mines Coal Wars Mine Owners' Association National Mining Hall of Fame Environmental issues with mining North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company, a prosecution in 1884 led to the Sawyer Decision, among the first environmental decisions in the United States Mountaintop removal#Legislation in the United States References[edit] ^ US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2016. ^ a b US EPA, OLEM (2015-05-27). "Abandoned Mine Lands: Site Information". US EPA. Retrieved 2020-05-06. ^ Mineral Commodity Summaries 2020 (PDF). Reston, Virginia: US Geological Survey. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020. ^ Minerals Yearbook, Volume 3. Washington DC: US Bureau of Mines. 1995. p. 7. ISBN 978-1345966411. Retrieved 14 June 2020. ^ Historical Data on Mine Disasters in the United States Archived 2016-02-10 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Department of Labor ^ All Mining Fatalities By State Archived 2007-04-18 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, 15 January 2007 ^ Coal Fatalities By State Archived 2007-02-21 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, 15 January 2007 ^ "Appeals Court Upholds Mountaintop Removal Mining". www.ens-newswire.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017. ^ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Mountaintop Mining/Valley Fills in Appalachia: Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement," issued 2005 June 25, available at http://www.epa.gov/region03/mtntop/index.htm (accessed 2006 August 20). ^ "Mountaintop Mining and Valley Fills in Appalachia (MTM/VF) - Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement". Retrieved 19 June 2017. ^ Sares, Matthew A.; Gusey, Daryl L.; Neubert, John T. (1999). "Abandoned Mines and Naturally Occurring Acid Rock Drainage on National Forest System Lands in Colorado" (PDF). www.coloradogeologicalsurvey.org. Colorado Geological Survey. Retrieved October 25, 2016. ^ Bergquist, Lee. 2002. "Decision puts water quality in tribe's hands; Sokaogon can set standard near mine." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/4/2002, 1A. v t e Mining in North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands v t e Mining in the Americas North America Caribbean Central America Northern America South America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Falkland Islands French Guiana Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands US Virgin Islands v t e United States articles History By event Pre-Columbian era Colonial era Thirteen Colonies military history Founding Fathers Continental Congress Continental Association Lee Resolution Declaration of Independence American Revolution War Treaty of Paris Articles of Confederation Confederation Period American frontier Drafting and ratification of Constitution Bill of Rights Federalist Era War of 1812 Territorial evolution Mexican–American War Civil War 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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mining_in_the_United_States&oldid=1000341552" Categories: Mining in the United States Industry in the United States Mining industry by country Hidden categories: Webarchive template wayback links Articles with excerpts Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2020 All articles containing potentially dated statements Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Geological Survey Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Department of Labor Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Languages Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 14 January 2021, at 18:40 (UTC). 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