Skip to feedback

Images related to Charleston, West Virginia

Growth of Mountaintop Mine, West Virginia, 1984-2009
Image

Growth of Mountaintop Mine, West Virginia, 1984-2009

Landsat 5 observed the growth of one of the largest surface mines in the state it expanded from ridge to ridge.

Published Mar 3, 2010

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Hobet-21 Mine, West Virginia
Image

Hobet-21 Mine, West Virginia

This pair of images shows the growth of a mountaintop removal in the headwaters of Mud River in Boone County, West Virginia, between 1987 and 2002.

Published Dec 23, 2007

Image of the Day Land

Coal Sludge Impoundments, West Virginia
Image

Coal Sludge Impoundments, West Virginia

Since the mid- to late 1990s, the number and size of coal mines known as mountaintop removal mines increased dramatically in parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. The final step in processing this coal creates sludge that contains coal dust, sediment, and possibly heavy metals and chemicals. Mine operators contain the coal sludge in nearby valleys, behind huge earthen dams known as valley fills.

Published Apr 25, 2008

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Mining Permits across West Virginia
Image

Mining Permits across West Virginia

Mountaintop removal mining dramatically changes the topography across thousands of acres. Mountaintop removal mining alters this topography by reducing the elevation of the ridge lines, flattening out the steep slopes, and also by filling in hollows and stream beds with the excess rock and dirt that once topped the mountains.

Published Dec 28, 2007

Image of the Day Land

Hobet Mine, West Virginia
Image

Hobet Mine, West Virginia

Multiple layers of coal lie underground in ancient rocks. In some places, miners remove mountaintops to get at it.

Published Apr 10, 2011

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Fall Colors in the Mid-Atlantic
Image

Fall Colors in the Mid-Atlantic

The colors may not look as brilliant as the reds and golds you would see on the ground, but even from space, the difference between the summer and fall attire of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic is dramatic.

Published Nov 3, 2006

Image of the Day Land Life

West Siberian Plain
Image

West Siberian Plain

Published Jan 1, 2006

Image of the Day Land Life

Central Madrid
Image

Central Madrid

Madrid is the political, economic, and cultural center of Spain.

Published Sep 12, 2016

Image of the Day Land Human Presence

Did you find what you were looking for?