coal mining summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see coal mining.

Schematic diagram of a flotation separation cell.

coal mining, Extraction of coal deposits from the Earth’s surface and from underground. Because coal was the basic energy source that fueled the Industrial Revolution, the resulting industrial growth supported the large-scale exploitation of coal deposits. In the late 20th century, open pit mines replaced underground mines as the principal source of coal in the industrial nations. The mining of coal from surface and underground deposits today is a highly productive, mechanized operation.