How does mining affect soils? What will be an ideal ...

[oliviahorn72]

How does mining affect soils?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What are drylands? Where are they found? How important are they for human habitation and agriculture?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[djofnc]

Answer to Question 1

Mining, particularly strip mining, is devastating to soil. When strip mining occurs it leaves the landscape looking like that of the Moon; deprived of topsoil and in need of complete restoration.

Answer to Question 2

Drylands are arid, semiarid, and seasonally dry ecosystems. Dryland ecosystems cover over one-third of Earth's land area. They are defined by precipitation, not temperature. Beyond the relatively uninhabited deserts, much of the land receives only 10 to 30 inches (2575 cm) of rainfall a year, a minimal amount to support rangeland or nonirrigated cropland. These lands, occupying some 5.2 billion hectares, are home to more than 2 billion people and are found on every continent except Antarctica.