Question

Which statements accurately compare the environmental impact of surface mining to the environmental impact of underground mining? Select the two correct answers.(1 point)
Responses

Both surface mining and underground mining risk causing severe water pollution.
Both surface mining and underground mining risk causing severe water pollution.

Surface mining causes more destruction of land ecosystems than underground mining.
Surface mining causes more destruction of land ecosystems than underground mining.

There is a higher risk of release of dangerous gases in surface mining than in underground mining.
There is a higher risk of release of dangerous gases in surface mining than in underground mining.

The risk of sinkholes is higher in surface mining than in underground mining.
The risk of sinkholes is higher in surface mining than in underground mining.

Underground mining causes more issues with dust and particulates than surface mining.

Answer 1

Correct answers:
- Both surface mining and underground mining risk causing severe water pollution.
- Surface mining causes more destruction of land ecosystems than underground mining.

Brief reasons: both methods can produce acid mine drainage and contaminate water; surface mining removes vegetation/topsoil and radically alters landscapes, so it destroys ecosystems far more than most underground methods.