Removing Overburden

After drilling and blasting have taken place, miners remove the overburden, which is then hauled away by rear dump trucks. Overburden is sometimes also used within the reclamation process so that the land may later retain a semblance of its form prior to mining. The overburden is moved by explosives, draglines, bucket wheel excavators, stripping shovels, dozers, and other equipment.

To learn more about MSHA Part 48 training requirements visit our MSHA Part 48 Subpart B Surface Mining Online Training web page.