Which statement about strip-mining is true?

Which statement about strip-mining is true?

• A. It can remove tops of mountains
• B. It creates fertile soil everywhere
• C. It floods valleys
• D. It reduces erosion

Answer: (A)

Strip-mining is a surface mining method used to reach coal near the ground. In mountainous areas, it can involve removing the tops of mountains to access coal seams, dramatically altering the landscape. The other statements don’t fit: strip-mined land is not made fertile everywhere; it usually loses soil and vegetation and can leave barren spoil piles. It isn’t a method that inherently floods valleys; while waterways can be affected by sediment, flooding isn’t a defining result. And erosion isn’t reduced—exposed soil and removed vegetation typically increase erosion and sediment runoff.

Strip-mining is a surface mining method used to reach coal near the ground. In mountainous areas, it can involve removing the tops of mountains to access coal seams, dramatically altering the landscape. The other statements don’t fit: strip-mined land is not made fertile everywhere; it usually loses soil and vegetation and can leave barren spoil piles. It isn’t a method that inherently floods valleys; while waterways can be affected by sediment, flooding isn’t a defining result. And erosion isn’t reduced—exposed soil and removed vegetation typically increase erosion and sediment runoff.