11 While every mine has unique characteristics and some require special extraction technique s the essential process of mining whether coal or hardrock includes fve basic phases 1 Exploration Todays mining compa nies use an array of t echniques to pinpoint ore bod ies and det ermine a sit e f or a pos sible mine Geologists map and take samples They are supported by geophysicists drillers en vi r onmental engineer s geochemical technicians computeraided design information technology experts and ofce support E nvironmental engi neering and cultural studies ar e also c onduct ed 2 Permitting and Bonding Bef or e a mining c ompan y can br eak gr ound it must g o thr ough permitting and bonding pr oc es ses P ermits ensur e that f eder al stat e and local la w s and r egulations ar e f ollo w ed see p 23 f or a list F inancial bonds ar e secur ed t o ensur e that sur f ac emined land will be r eturned t o an agr eed upon use at the c ompletion of the mining pr o c es s 3 Mining Whether coal or hardrock mining operations themselves are usually one of two types sur f ac e also called open pit or un derground also called deep Operations begin only after hun dreds of drill holes metallurgical tests and environmental studies have confrmed that a new depos it can be mined safely and proft ably and with minimal longt erm en vir onmental impact Mining en gineers design mine plans and pro cessing plants Drillers and blast ers shatter the orebearing rock so it can be removed with giant shov els and trucks Mine geologists and survey teams using GPS continu ously monitor mining progress Environmental scientists and technicians make sure the envi ronment is protected The logistics of running a mining operation are supported by dozens of ad ministrative personnel 4 Processing In both c oal and miner als mining the e xtr act ed r esour c e is of t en sent fr om the mine t o a pr oc es sing f acilit y R ock s bearing miner al or es ar e crushed and subject ed t o a v ariet y of chemical r eactions t o r emo v e the v aluable metal fr om surr ounding r ock C oal is tak en t o pr epar ation plants wher e it is cleaned PR ODUC TION T he pr oc es s of mining US c oal pr oduction b y stat e 20 18 million shor t t ons Stat e T otal of T otal US 1 W y oming 304 2 40 2 2 W est V ir ginia 9 5 4 12 6 3 P enns ylv ania 4 9 9 6 6 4 Illinois 4 9 6 6 6 5 K entuck y 3 9 6 5 2 6 Montana 38 6 5 1 7 Indiana 34 6 4 6 8 Nor th D ak ota 2 9 6 3 9 9 T exa s 2 48 3 3 10 Alabama 148 2 0 Other Stat es 13 7 5 1 9 9 T otal US 7 56 2 100 Ener gy Inf ormation A dministr ation 20 18 The state with the most coal production is W yoming which mined 304 million tons Nevada is the stat e that pr o duc es the most miner als o v er all with pr oduction v alued at 7 9 billion in 20 18