Old school “room and pillar” coal mining sometimes caused subsidence damages to the surface. Longwall coal mining removes the entire coal seam and actually plans to let the mine roof and all the formations above it collapse into the void left once the coal is removed. This subsidence can crack foundations, drain drinking water tables and even ponds, break gas and water lines, and reduce property values.
Here are pictures of damages to people’s homes and other building foundations, as well as before and after pictures of a pond that went dry.
