i 1 . o V - c ■> j»V w : 4 o * 4- v V- 4 o «* • V < • *■• ** ^ ft ^ 'Turf** Jy c% •^5^.' *" "^ •- _ *\W.A. : SV\W.^ * %.< Acknowledgment s 5 Definitions 5 ^ Extent of mine land use 9 Acreage used and reclaimed by selected commodity, by State.. 10 Acreage used and reclaimed by mining function 18 Conclusions 19 ILLUSTRATIONS 1 . Open pit copper mine 6 2. Open pit coal mine 7 3 . Auger mining for coal — 48-inch auger holes 8 4. Coal waste bank 8 5. Total land used and reclaimed in the mining industry, 1930-80 9 6. Distribution of land used, by State cluster, 1930-80 13 7. Percentage of land used by selected commodity, 1930-80 13 8. Percentage of land used for mining bituminous coal, by State, 1930-80 15 9. Percentage of land used for mining copper, by State, 1930-80 15 10. Percentage of land used by mining function, 1930-80 18 11. Abandoned strip pit before backfilling.. 20 12. Abandoned strip pit after backfilling 20 13. Stabilized copper mill tailings pond 21 TABLES 1. Comparison of major land uses in the United States in 1980, by type of use 10 2. Land utilized and reclaimed by the mining industry in the United States in 1930-80, by State 11 3. Land utilized by the mining industry in the United States in 1930-80, by State and selected commodity 12 4. Size distribution of acres utilized for coal in 1930-80, by State.. 14 5. Size distribution of acres utilized for clay in 1930-80, by State.. 14 6. Size distribution of acres utilized for sand and gravel in 1930-80, by State 16 7. Size distribution of acres utilized for stone in 1930-80, by State. 16 8. Land utilized and reclaimed by the mining industry in the United States in 1930-80 and 1980, by selected commodity 17 9. Land utilized and reclaimed by the mining industry in the United States in 1930-80, by area of mining activity 19 Af\ LAND UTILIZATION AND RECLAMATION IN THE MINING INDUSTRY, 1930-80 by Wilton Johnson ] and James Paone 2 ABSTRACT The Bureau of Mines study indicates that land utilized by the mining industry for mineral extraction and processing from 1930 through 1980 amounted to 5.7 million acres, or 0.25 percent of the land mass in the United States. Land reclaimed by the industry during the same period was 2.7 million acres, or 47 percent of the land utilized. Land use by the mining industry includes surface land used for excavation or mining, for waste from underground mining, and for wastes from milling or processing operations. Data on land use for disposal of overburden waste from surface coal mines and on areas affected by subsidence associated with underground mining are included for the period 1930-71 only. The 10 leading States in total land used for mining over the 51-year period were, in decreasing order, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, Florida, Indiana, California, Alabama, and Missouri. Seven mineral commodities accounting for 92 percent of land use are, in decreasing order, bituminous coal, sand and gravel, stone, phosphate rock, clay, copper, and iron ore, all predominately surface mined. Bituminous coal production was responsible for nearly half of the total area utilized. Reclamation of mined lands and waste disposal sites over the reporting period was largely on lands utilized in mining bituminous coal; 75 percent of the land used for bituminous coal production was reclaimed. INTRODUCTION This study was conducted by the Bureau of Mines to determine the amount of land used by the mining industry to produce coal and nonfuel minerals needed to maintain the Nation's security and economic well-being. Mining, of necessity, except ocean mining, requires the use of land to support mineral extraction and processing activities. Unless properly reclaimed, mined land 1 Chief, Branch of Special Studies, Division of Mineral Land Assessment. 2 Director, Division of Mineral Land Assessment. is sometimes permanently removed from other productive uses and adversely impacts environmental, aesthetic, and other values of the mining site and surrounding areas. Public concern for protection of these values often triggers various kinds of responses, often in the form of Federal, State, and local laws or other regulatory controls. Developing such controls or formulating land use decisions without adequate data can affect mineral exploration and development activities and ultimately the availability of minerals to meet our domestic needs. Detailed information on mine land use is therefore crucial to the deci- sion making process. This report represents a continuing Bureau effort to facilitate that process by assessing the nature and extent of land used for mining and mineral processing activities and the degree to which these lands are reclaimed for other productive uses. Background The Bureau of Mines has a long history of interest in mine land use and reclamation. For example, in 1939 the Bureau published Report of Investiga- tions 3440, "Reclamation of Stripped Coal Land," to acquaint mine operators and others with work that had been done in certain States to reclaim land that had been strip-mined for coal. The Bureau's interest in mine land use was broadened considerably with passage of the Appalachian Regional Development Act in 1965. The Act directed the Secretary of the Interior to survey strip and surface mining operations in the United States. The Secretary was also directed to make recommendations for a comprehensive program for reclamation and rehabilitation of strip-and surface-mined areas. The Bureau of Mines was ultimately instructed to assume leadership of a working level technical committee composed of various Federal agencies to study the nature and extent of surface mining operations and con- ditions resulting from them. The results of the study were published in a Department of the Interior Special Report to the Nation, "Surface Mining and Our Environment." The study identified 3.2 million acres of land affected by surface mining, 2 million acres of which were in need of varying degrees of treatment. The report also made specific recommendations, including estab- lishment of Federal standards and requirements, for prevention of future damage and a program of Federal participation for repair of past damages. Because of the potential for Federal intervention in mining and reclama- tion activities, a need emerged for reliable data to serve as a base for mak- ing viable mine land use decisions. To help fulfill that need, the Bureau continued its efforts to develop and maintain data on the extent of land use by the mining industry. In 1971, a second national survey was undertaken to identify the amount of land used and reclaimed by the mining industry during the 42-year period, 1930 through 1971. Unlike the first study, the survey was broadened to include surface areas affected by surface and underground mining, including mineral processing and waste disposal activities. The study iden- tified 3.65 million acres of land used by the mining industry during that 42-year period. Of that amount, 1.46 million acres was reclaimed according to requirements of Federal, State, or local laws, or voluntarily when no such laws existed. A subsequent Bureau report published in 1979, "Abandoned Coal-Mined Lands, Nature, Extent, and Cost of Reclamation," revealed that approximately 1 million acres of coal lands mined between 1930 and 1971 remained in an aban- doned state. However, the report also noted that although an additional 400,000 acres was used for coal mining between 1972 and 1977, there was no sig- nificant increase in abandoned coal mined lands because of Federal and State laws requiring reclamation. There was no comparable data for the amount of abandoned or unreclaimed land left by the metal and nonmetal mining industries. There are no Federal laws requiring reclamation of land mined for nonfuel minerals, and State laws governing reclamation of mineral mined lands are not as extensive as those governing coal mining. Other factors affecting abandoned mined lands are natural reclamation, voluntary reclamation performed by various industries, and reclamation by Federal, State, and local government agencies for such uses as farming, grazing, road construction, and residential and industrial com- plexes. For this reason, this report makes no assessment as to the amount of unreclaimed land that remains in an abandoned or derelict condition. Purpose The purpose of this report is to update data developed in previous Bureau studies and to assess land use trends in the mining industry. A knowledge of such trends is critical to development of land use policy decisions and aids in promoting a better understanding of mine land use in relation to other competing uses for land. Scope and Methodology This report identifies quantities of land used and reclaimed by the min- ing industry for different mining functions for the period 1930 through 1980. Included are data on areas affected by surface and underground mining and sur- face areas used for milling, processing, and related activities. Data for 1930-71 were obtained by soliciting information directly from individual mine and mill operations. For this report, a combination of industry and State surveys, production records, and Bureau of Mines estimates was used to deter- mine the amount of land utilized from 1972 through 1980. As extraction of coal accounts for the major quantity of land used for mining, the Bureau, in 1976, conducted a special canvass of the coal mining industry to determine amounts of land used for various coal mining activities from 1972 through 1975, and amounts of land that had been reclaimed during that period. Approximately 6,000 questionnaires were mailed to coal mining companies that had operated at any time during the period January 1, 1972, to December 31, 1975. Response was voluntary, and cooperation was commendable. Responses accounted for 60 percent of the bituminous coal production for the 4-year period, providing an excellent sample and cross section of coal mining in each State and thereby providing a sound data base to estimate for nonrespondents. Results were tabulated and statistically analyzed. Data not falling within prescribed bounds were screened, and illogical or erroneous information was discarded or corrected by telephone queries to reporting companies. Esti- mating formulas were devised for determining values for nonrespondents and for projecting acreage used and reclaimed through 1980. Formulas were based on acreage-production ratios of respondents and applied to operations of similar size and type conducted within the State or geographic region. Based on pre- vious study experience, it was known that a high correlation exists between production and land use and that such factors as mining method and coal seam thickness could be used to make accurate estimates for nonrespondents or to validate response data. Similarly, estimating procedures used to determine coal land utiliza- tion and reclamation were applied in projecting the amount of land used and reclaimed by the metal and nonmetal industries. Land use and reclamation data developed from the 1930-71 canvass of the minerals industry provided the data base for projecting land use and reclamation by the metal and nonmetal -indus- tries through 1980. Response to the 1930-71 survey represented 74 percent of minerals production in 1971, with metals accounting for 92 percent, and non- metals for 66 percent. Like the special coal canvass, these responses pro- vided an excellent sample of mining within each State. From these data, ratios were established relating the amount of land used to the amount of min- erals produced on a commodity-by-commodity, State-by-State basis for each of the years 1972 through 1980. Ratios were refined to reflect changes in fac- tors affecting mine land use trends since completion of the original 1930-71 survey. Excluded from the estimates for 1972-80 are data on land used for dis- posal of overburden wastes from surface coal mining and surface areas subsided or disturbed as a result of underground workings. Data on acreage affected by disposal of overburden wastes from metal and nonmetal surface mining opera- tions are included; however, the quantity of land used for overburden coal waste as a distinct category during the last 10 years is negligible because of State and Federal laws requiring reclamation concurrent with mining. Subsi- dence data were excluded because, lacking specific data from industry, such areas frequently cannot be determined accurately. However, areas affected by disposal of overburden coal wastes and by subsidence as reported by the min- erals industry and State agencies represented approximately 9 percent and 4 percent respectively of total land use for 1930-71, and are included in total areas used and reclaimed from 1930 through 1980. Areas occupied by mine plants are not included in this report because of the lack of reliable data. A canvass of the minerals industry reported acre- age extremely larger than that normally occupied by mine plants. Detailed analysis of the data indicated that in some instances acreages reported included areas occupied by mill and processing wastes as well as mine plant facilities. Use of information reported in that category would have resulted in double-counting of acreages affected by mill and processing wastes. Prospecting and exploration represent another form of land use by the mining industry. A study prepared for the Department of the Interior's Office of Minerals Policy and Research Analysis in 1979, titled "A Study of Issues in the Exploration and Development of Hard Rock Minerals," sought to determine the amount of land needed by hard rock mineral firms for site-specific explora- tion or physical exploration conducted on mineral land following the reconnais- sance phase of exploration. Study results indicated that land needed for site-specific exploration varies widely among different operations and that the mine companies surveyed acquired from 600 to 10,000 acres or more before engaging in drilling, trenching, or the sinking of shallow shafts. Generally, additional lands were subsequently acquired. The study further showed that the amount of land actually needed for the mine itself can range from 5 per- cent or less of the total initially acquired, to nearly 100 percent in the case of some extensive, flat-lying bedded deposits that are mined by under- ground methods. Because of the uncertainties and variability of exploration data, such data were not included in this report. Areas used for haulroads, fresh water reservoirs, railroads and public highways to edge of mining properties, and streams affected by acid drainage and sedimentation are excluded because of a lack of specific data from industry. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are indebted to individuals of many State agencies and to mineral producers for their voluntary contribution of land use and reclamation information. Thanks are also extended to the following Bureau of Mines per- sonnel for their contribution and analysis of minerals production and land use data: Paul Marcus, physical scientist, Branch of Applied Technology and Demonstrations, Division of Mineral Environmental Technology; Leo Giorgetti, computer systems analyst, Branch of Data Management, Office of Mineral Infor- mation Systems; Barbara Gunn, statistical specialist, Branch of Domestic Data, Division of Production/ Consumption Data Collection and Interpretation; and Patrick Ditty, physical scientist, Branch of Special Studies, Division of Mineral Land Assessment. DEFINITIONS Terms used in this report to describe the types of mining methods are those accepted by the mining industry in general. The term "surface mining" means mining in surface excavations and includes removing deposits or ore from open pits (quarries, opencuts), area stripping, contour stripping, auger min- ing, placer mining, dredging, and the removal of overburden to uncover the ore or deposit. Open pit methods are employed in mining ore and deposits that lie near the surface. Overburden covering the mineral must be removed in advance of mining. Open pit mines range in size from simple, shallow excavations or bor- row pits for recovering sand and gravel, and quarries producing limestone, sandstone, marble, and granite, to extensive and complex iron ore and copper open pits (fig. 1). FIGURE 1. - Open pit copper mine. "Strip mining" is the term commonly used in describing the surface min- ing method for coal. Two general types of strip mining for coal are contour stripping and area stripping. Contour stripping, common in the Appalachian region and some western coalfields, is a surface mining method of excavating for coal along the outcrop of the coalbed around the hillside. Area, or flat- land, stripping is practiced in regions of rolling terrain with relatively flat upland surfaces such as those found in Illinois and western Kentucky. The open pit method is also used to mine coal with thick seam deposits such as those found in some Western States (fig. 2). ^ ^t*'' ■>#?*. % FIGURE 2. - Open pit coal mine. Auger mining is a method often used by strip coal mine operators when the overburden is too thick to be removed economically. It involves large- diameter, spaced holes drilled up to 200 feet into the coal bed by auger (fig. 3). Milling and processing involve dressing or beneficiation operations to remove unwanted waste (fig. 4) or impurities for the purpose of preparing coal and nonfuel minerals into a final marketable product* FIGURE 3. - Auger mining for coal-48-inch auger holes. FIGURE 4. - Coal waste bank. Placer raining is usually a surface mining method for recovering heavy minerals from unconsolidated deposits. Historically, gold is the most impor- tant mineral associated with placer mining; other minerals recovered by placer mining operations are ilraenite, columbium, tantalite, platinum, scheelite, and monazite. Dredging is used extensively in placer gold raining. It is also used to recover sand and gravel from streambeds and low-lying lands and for stripping phosphate deposits in a coastal area of North Carolina. The term "land use" covers land used for surface mine excavations and for the disposal of surface and underground mine waste and of waste from milling and processing operations. "Reclaimed" in this report means that recondition- ing or restoration work has been completed on mined and waste disposal areas in compliance with Federal, State, or local laws, or that in the opinion of mine management, such areas have been restored to a useful condition. EXTENT OF MINE LAND USE Land mining ac 100 use for mining from 1930 through 1980 (51 years), a period when tivities were called upon to fulfill mineral requirements for three wars and an expansive econ- 5,700,000 ACRES 75 UJ O 5 UJ a. 25 - 2,700,000 ACRES LAND USED LAND RECLAIMED FIGURE 5. •Total land used and reclaimed in the mining industry, 1930-80. oray, amounted to 5.7 mil- lion acres, or 0.25 percent of the total land mass in the United States (fig. 5). Taking into account the 47 percent of land reclaimed, 0.13 percent of the total land mass is currently being used for mining or mineral processing, is abandoned or derelict, or has been reclaimed by nature or vol- untarily reclaimed by vari- ous industries and Federal, State, and local government agencies. The amount of land used for mining is small compared with that devoted to other types of uses — agriculture, 70.0 percent; national parks, 3.4 percent; urban areas, 3.0 percent; transportation networks (highways, rail- roads, airports, etc.), 1.3 percent; Forest Service wilderness, 1.1 percent; and wildlife refuges, 3.9 per- cent (table 1). 10 TABLE 1 . - Comparison of major land uses in the United States in 1980, by type of use 1 Activity Million acres Agriculture (1977 data): Cropland , Grassland, pasture, and range, Forest land grazed , Farmsteads, farm roads , Total , Urban and built-up areas 2 , National park system 3 , Wildlife refuge system 3 , Forest Service wilderness 3 , Highways ( 1978) , Railroads (1978) , Airports (1978) , Mining 1 * , Other , Total , 413.0 985.7 179.4 10.9 ,589.0 68.7 77.0 88.7 25.1 21.5 3.0 4.0 5.7 388.6 2,271.3 Estimates based primarily on reports and records of the Bureau of Census, the Department of Agriculture, and other Federal and State agencies. 2 Includes residential, farm, industrial and recreational sites, and highways, rail- roads, and other transportation facilities within urban and built-up areas. 3 Includes areas designated under the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act, Dec. 2, 1980, Public Law 96-487. ^For the period 1930-80; includes 2.7 million acres reclaimed. Every State experienced some form of mining activity during the reporting period. The percentage of land used by each State for mining and attendant activ- ities ranges from 0.01 percent in Alaska to over 2.2 percent in Pennsylvania (table 2). In addition to Pennsylvania, five States (Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana) each had over 1 percent of their land mined. These States account for nearly half the land mined and for two-thirds of the land reclaimed nationally. Eight States (California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) have mined acreage ranging from 217,000 to over 630,000 acres. Nine other States (Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) were in the 100,000 to 200,000-acre cate- gory. The remaining States each had less than 100,000 acres used for mining during the 51-year period (fig. 6). Acreage Used and Reclaimed by Selected Commodity, by State Seven commodities (bituminous coal, clays, copper, iron ore, phosphate rock, sand and gravel, and stone) accounted for 92 percent of the amount of land used during the 51-year period (table 3). Bituminous coal was responsible for nearly half the total area utilized (48 percent). The remaining 52 percent is distri- buted as follows: Sand and gravel, 17 percent; stone, 13 percent; phosphate rock, 5 percent; clays, 4 percent; copper, 3 percent; iron ore, 2 percent; and all other commodities including uranium, 8 percent (fig. 7). TABLE 2. - Land utilized and reclaimed by the mining Industry 1 in the United States in 1930-80, by State 11 State Total State land area, 2 acres Percent of total land area used for mining Total area utilized, 3 acres Total area reclaimed, 3 acres Percent reclaimed Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California. . ... Colorado Connecticut. . . . Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts. . Michigan Minnesota Mississippi. . . . Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire.. New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina. North Dakota. . . Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennslyvania. . . Rhode Island... South Carolina. South Dakota. . . Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia. . Wisconsin Wyoming Total 4 .... 32 678, 365 482, 72 688, 33 599, 100 207, 66 486, 3 135, 1 266, 34 721, 37 295, 4 106, 52 933, 35 795, 23 158, 35 860, 52 511, 25 512, 28 868, 19 848, 6 319, 5 035, 36 492, 51 206, 30 223, 44 248, 93 271, 49 ,032, 70 264, 5 769, 4 813, 77 766, 30 681, 31 403, 44 452, 26 222, 44 088, 61 599, 28 805, 677, 19 374, 48 882, 26 728, 168 218, 52 697, 5 ,937, 25 ,496, 42 694, 15 ,411, 35 ,011, 62 343, ,271 304, 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 0.39 .01 .17 .09 .26 .11 .55 .22 .86 .15 .19 .09 1.11 1.13 .19 .11 2.09 .09 .09 .71 .62 .35 .27 .06 .32 .07 .04 .06 .12 .82 .09 .36 .18 .12 1.93 .15 .07 2.21 .59 .11 .04 .40 .08 .15 .12 .55 .12 2.06 .17 .13 145 31 121 39 257 70 17 2 297 54 7 45 411 260 61 57 533 25 18 45 31 128 137 16 143 63 21 40 7 39 69 110 55 53 507 66 44 635 4 20 20 106 141 78 7 139 53 318 61 81 000 .25 5,700 670 760 820 190 350 290 310 830 660 740 750 380 380 660 910 780 410 770 490 080 270 720 420 700 440 270 360 080 190 510 290 990 170 230 320 670 710 530 000 800 050 160 890 490 640 110 570 120 000 460 85 16 14 13 52 21 4 69 19 2 9 282 180 26 32 385 7 6 18 8 31 16 4 67 18 6 5 1 12 15 26 15 34 357 39 11 338 8 6 48 38 7 1 69 16 194 14 29 000 2,700 250 820 140 490 900 950 210 650 160 200 170 510 200 760 470 320 400 310 910 740 300 660 930 990 500 100 580 830 980 440 180 260 300 700 900 490 770 000 820 150 260 870 930 520 990 630 820 000 820 720 000 58.5 53.0 11.6 34.4 20.6 31.2 24.3 23.0 23.2 35.1 28.0 21.0 68.6 69.4 42.8 55.9 72.3 28.4 37.4 41.6 26.5 24.6 12.3 29.9 47. 28. 30. 14. 27. 31. 21.9 23.7 27.7 65.2 70.6 59.2 26.3 53.2 20.5 39.2 31.2 46.0 27.4 9.6 26.1 50.1 31.4 61„0 24.3 36.5 47.4 1 Excludes oil and gas operations. 2 U.S. Department of Commerce, Statistical 3 Includes area of surface mine excavation coal, 1930-71 only), surface area subs (1930-71 only), surface area used for disposal of mill or processing waste. railroads and public highways to edge and sedimentation. ^Data may not add to totals shown because Abstract of the United States 1972, p. 196. area used for disposal of surface mine waste (includes ided or disturbed as a result of underground workings disposal of underground waste, and surface area used for Excludes areas used for haulroads, fresh water reservoirs, of mining properties, and streams affected by acid drainage of independent rounding. 12 TABLE 3. - Land 1 utilized by the mining Industry in the United States in 1930-80, by State and selected commodity, acres State Bituminous coal Clays Copper Iron ore Phosphate rock Sand and gravel Stone Uranium All other commodities Total 2 Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Conneticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts. . Michigan Minnesota Mississippi. . . . Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire.. New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina. North Dakota. . . Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania . . . Rhode Island... South Carolina. South Dakota... Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia.. Wisconsin Wyoming Total 2 104,750 5,090 3,980 6,360 60 17,450 420 10 336,510 205,820 1,460 26,750 502,530 14,060 570 61,600 14,740 16,000 42,320 394,500 36,310 20 427,000 390 41,780 8,890 3,360 85,530 3,452 300,700 49,220 8,700 10 740 3,320 14,010 2,450 920 90 2,620 25,770 60 130 8,990 6,760 4,080 3,480 4,660 3,220 250 3,460 630 8,340 750 5,260 10,340 610 660 120 150 2,220 360 5,530 11,650 190 20,770 3,220 1,000 14,070 6,640 1,360 6,510 17,330 1,020 40 5,060 1,170 1,720 450 8,690 200 91,200 30 50 5,420 16,750 14,280 15,600 390 5 1,070 5 42,450 200 5 120 7,480 5 5 2,440 60 380 5 6,750 90,590 1,030 10 530 630 30 1,910 10 730 5 20 1,090 3,470 10 5 2,050 1,560 222,000 14,500 3,070 5,360 21,600 2,750 10 960 9 9 17 12 121 24 9 2 9 4 9 32 23 19 15 6 16 15 17 20 58 38 10 13 15 17 9 6 17 10 42 13 10 45 7 21 34 3 6 14 9 41 13 3 16 29 6 39 2,700,000 230,000 188,000 121,000 270,000 960 320 520 900 760 060 900 630 610 700 820 650 730 480 590 970 150 760 330 180 520 340 880 530 500 300 810 110 380 370 460 380 560 960 570 320 900 750 370 170 990 250 920 480 590 050 180 800 700 660 280 14,920 1,010 3,090 11,930 39,660 5,980 6,660 120 32,170 20,400 6,010 2,710 32,450 23,600 31,310 9,940 19,360 5,840 2,180 9,840 10,290 39,160 5,950 940 30,020 5,610 3,570 2,760 580 11,900 2,140 33,920 18,540 100 45,680 15,270 17,430 54,150 490 6,950 3,240 24,650 54,480 4,200 2,750 28,370 16,800 8,990 18,660 5,560 10 780 10 330 5 5 10 9,330 20 20 330 890 60 410 5,220 500 15,900 4,130 4,820 80,110 19,090 100 10 31,170 3,000 1,030 18,240 950 890 5,090 2,460 100 400 880 200 10 9,600 1,600 27,120 6,670 20 13,000 90 7,300 15,450 27,070 5,650 30 1,050 3,580 4,490 105,210 340 220 510 610 17,730 7,590 1,600 3,950 1,810 10 180 1,970 145 31 121 39 257 70 17 2 297 54 7 45 411 260 61 57 533 ; 25 18 45 31 128 137 16 143 63 21 40 7 39 69 110 55 53 507 66 44 635 4 20 20 106 141 78 7 139 53 318 61 81 000 752,000 17,000 450,000 5,700, 670 760 820 190 350 290 310 830 660 740 750 380 380 660 910 780 410 770 490 080 270 720 420 700 440 270 360 080 190 510 290 990 170 230 320 670 710 530 000 800 050 160 890 490 640 110 570 120 000 460 000 includes area of 1930-71 only), used for dispo voirs, rallroa drainage and s 2 Data may not add surface mine excavation, area used for disposal of surface mine waste (includes coal, surface area subsided or disturbed as a result of underground waste, and surface area sal of mill or processing waste. Excludes areas used for haulroads, fresh water reser- ds and public highways to edge of mining properties, and streams affected by acid edimentation. to totals shown because of independent rounding. 13 o E E o u -o o u _0) . _n -o W ~D C D O O CO c 0) u o LU w U 0) D £-> >s _Q -D 3 -o c D C o to sO LU O Li_ 14 Seven States accounted for 84 percent of the land used for bituminous coal mining and included, in declining order, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, West Virginia, Indiana, and Alabama. All seven States exceeded the national average in the amount of land reclaimed, which ranged from 58 percent in Alabama to over 72 percent in Kentucky. Figure 8 shows land distribution for mining coal in 1930-80, and table 4 shows the acreage size distribution for mining coal by State for the same period. TABLE 4. - Size distribution of acres utilized for coal in 1930-80, by State Acres utilized Number of States Percent of coal- producing States Under 10,000 13 9 2 7 41.9 50,000 to 100,000.... 29.0 6.5 22.6 Forty-nine States reported clay production over the 51-year period; land use for clays was widespread, ' and no particular group of States emerged domi- nant in acreage used. Clay raining land use ranged from 10 acres in Alaska to over 25,000 acres in Georgia (table 5). TABLE 5 . - Size distribution of acres utilized for clay in 1930-80, by State Acres utilized Number of States Percent of clay- producing States Under 1,000.... 17 34.7 1,000 to 4,999. 15 30.6 5,000 to 10,000 10 20.4 Over 10,000.... 7 14.3 Five States accounted for 95 percent of the area utilized for copper. Arizona was the leading State, accounting for nearly half the land used in the United States for copper mining and processing activities (fig. 9). ' 15 0) Q. Q. O U o> c 0) 10 c _o »*- o o oo (DO a>co a on c a> u «> (0 o CL<£ On LU ID O Ll_ c 'c E 3 OO -o <=> o c^ O) OO o c U (D Q_ oo LU O 16 Minnesota was the dominant State in the quantity of land used in mining and processing iron ore, accounting for 75 percent of the total land used in the United States for that purpose. Florida accounted for 82 percent of the land used in the extraction of phosphate rock. California utilized 121,000 acres in the production of sand and gravel; this acreage was the highest in the country and amounted to 13 percent of the total land used for that commodity. All States reported sand and gravel extraction (table 6). Similarly, stone production was reported in all States; Pennsylvania and Texas were the dominant States, each accounting for about 7 percent of the total land used for stone production (table 7). TABLE 6 . - Size distribution of acres utilized for sand and gravel in 1930-80, by State Acres utilized Number of States Percent of sand- and gravel-producing States c 10.0 5,000 to 9,999... 12 24.0 10,000 to 19,999. 18 36.0 20,000 to 50,000. 13 26.0 2 4.0 TABLE 7 . - Size distribution of acres utilized for stone in 1930-80, by State Acres utilized Number of States Percent of stone- producing States 16 32.0 10 20.0 10,000 to 19,999... 10 20.0 20,000 to 40,000... 11 22.0 3 6.0 Bituminous coal also accounted for the bulk of the acreage reclaimed. Seventy-five percent of the land used for bituminous coal was reclaimed, compared with 8 and 27 percent respectively for areas affected by metal and nonmetal operations. The lower percentages of reclamation for metal and non- metal mining are due to several factors, including location in more sparsely populated areas in general than coal mining and lack of regulatory history; however, perhaps the most important factor is the nature of the operation. Unlike coal, most operations consist of large quarries and open pits that are worked for many years; typically large quantities of ore are removed while dis- turbing relatively small surface areas. Table 8 shows the amount of land used and reclaimed by selected commodity, 1930-80. 17 TABLE 8 . - Land utilized and reclaimed by the mining Industry in the United States in 1930-80 and 1980, by selected commodity Commodity Land utilized, 1 acres Land reclaimed, 1 acres Percent reclaimed 1930-80 1980 1930-80 1980 1930-80 Metals: 188,000 121,000 17,000 182,000 2,570 2,040 310 4,240 5,400 5,100 1,300 29,200 190 80 70 650 ' 2.9 4.2 7.7 16.0 508,000 9,160 41,000 990 8.1 Nonmetals: 230,000 270,000 960,000 743,000 150,000 6,920 19,420 38,800 27,560 2,900 86,100 65,200 296,000 174,400 13,900 3,220 4,830 13,140 7,640 980 37.4 24.2 30.8 23.5 9.3 2,353,000^ 95,600 635,600 29,810 27.0 Solid fuels: 2,700,000 118,000 121,710 870 2,036,000 17,000 92,220 380 75.4 14.4 Total 5 2,818,000 123,000 2,053,000 92,600 72.9 5,700,000 228,000 2,700,000 123,000 47.4 includes area of .surface mine excavation, area used for disposal of surface mine waste (includes coal, 1930-71 only), surface area subsided or dis- turbed as a result of underground workings (1930-71 only), surface area used for disposal of underground waste, and surface area used for disposal of mill or processing waste. Excludes areas used for haulroads, fresh water reservoirs, railroads and public highways to edge of mining proper- ties, and streams affected by acid drainage and sedimentation. 2 Bauxite, beryllium, gold, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, platinum-group metals, silver, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, and zinc. 3 Aplite, asbestos, boron minerals, diatomite, feldspar, fluorspar, garnet, graphite, greensand marl, gypsum, kyanite, lithium minerals, magnesite, mica, millstones, olivine, perlite, potassium salts, pumice, pyrites, salt, sodium carbonate, talc, tripoli, vermiculite, and wollastonite. ^Anthracite and peat. 5 Data may not add to totals shown because of independent rounding. 18 Acreage Used and Reclaimed by Mining Function For lands associated with mining activity, over two-thirds of the acre- age is used for excavations associated with surface mining (69 percent). The disposal of overburden waste (includes coal, 1930-71 only), processing waste, waste from underground mining operations, and surface subsidence (1930-71 only) account for the remaining 31 percent of land utilized (fig. 10). WASTE AREA FROM UNDERGROUND SUBSIDED AREA FIGURE 10. - Percentage of land used by mining function, 1930-80. 19 Areas affected by surface mine excavations and areas used for disposal of overburden wastes have the highest percentages of reclamation, 55 and 52 percent, respectively. The remaining reclaimed areas are distributed as follows: Surface area used for disposal of underground waste, 13.4 percent; surface area used for disposal of mill or processing waste, 9.4 percent; and surface area subsided or disturbed as a result of underground workings, 5.6 percent (table 9). TABLE 9 . - Land utilized and reclaimed by the mining industry iri the United States in 1930-80, by area of mining activity 1 Area of activity Utilized, Reclaimed, Percent acres acres reclaimed 3,933,910 2,158,500 55.0 910,000 472,000 52.0 105,000 5,870 5.6 190,320 25,500 13.4 554,000 51,800 9.4 5,700,000 2,700,000 47.4 Surface area mined (area of excavation only ) , Area used for disposal of overburden waste from surface mining^ ....» , Surface area subsided or disturbed as a result of underground workings 3 , Surface area used for disposal of under- ground mine waste , Surface area used for disposal of mill or processing waste. , Total 1 * , Excludes oil and gas operations. ^Includes surface coal operations for 1930-71 only. 3 Includes data for 1930-71 only. ^Data may not add to totals shown because of independent rounding. CONCLUSIONS Mining, Especially surface mining, is a very conspicious form of land use which over the years has generated considerable concern about its impact on^ other resources. Yet, compared with other land uses, mining involves a very small portion of the total land mass in the United States. During the 51-year period 1930-80, the mining industry used 5.7 million acres, or 0.25 percent of the total U.S. land mass, to meet the Nation's fuel and nonfuel mineral needs. Nearly half (47 percent) of the land utilized was reclaimed by the mining industry, and although 53 percent was not reclaimed by the industry, not all of this unreclaimed land remains in an abandoned con- dition. Some lands abandoned years ago have been reclaimed by nature and can- not be identified for reclamation purposes. Others were voluntarily reclaimed by the mining industry (figs. 11 and 12) before the existence of State or Fed- eral laws for such uses as farming, grazing, and other purposes and cannot now be accurately accounted for. Still others have been reclaimed by other indus- tries for such uses as highways, for recreation, industrial, and residential complexes, and for demonstration of reclamation techniques (fig. 13). There- fore, conclusions as to the total amount of land that remains in an abandoned condition cannot be drawn from this report. 20 FIGURE 11. - Abandoned strip pit before backfilling. FIGURE 12. - Abandoned strip pit after backfilling. 21 22 Although more land continues to he used for mining, the trend in land reclamation continues to increase. With respect to coal, State and Federal laws provide for reclamation of all lands disturbed by surface mining. With the present trend in State law development governing mineral production, it is anticipated that reclamation of lands affected by nonfuel mineral mining will continue to increase; however, because such operations last for years, extrac- ting large quantities of minerals while disturbing relatively small surface areas, reclamation of mineral lands will continue to be at a slower rate than reclamation of lands affected by coal mining. PD -203 * a" ^k^Q^mmm^ a 4 ^o J ^ ''fife"- % <£ AT , o > *4 r ^o x -V V V"^V* .*V' -, '*V**. \*^^>* *<^-W* a \^ \j*$ft*\S* \J^fS J*\ '111 ; . ** v ^ '°1»* : ^ .v ^ • - ' AT * . . e> ' , V ^°...,v^*^ %^^/ v^^v v^v ••ate- xs cm*. \/ /^K\ *♦..*♦ ,a& \ .^' --^ ? v .L^L% *> V »1 * °- o ••aw- %«♦♦ sma:\^ /isK\ %..y ,i JUL 83.-.% v»». :Jtt ..> - ^. i -,-.\" , / 1 li:.% *V.... °V o* —. mm .; riv .[,.: ■■■'. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 002 959 942 7 I8SH IBIli Hi ■H HUH K IIIHIIB lliiitliii Hag Sit ■.■• m III lifer 111 , ■ SI J1j «■„ j .. mm HH