Question

which of the following best describes surface mining?
removing the earths surface to extract resources
using chemicals to dissolve underground ores
digging tunnels underground for transport pathways
drilling deep pits to store large amounts of oil

Explanation:

Surface mining involves accessing mineral deposits near the Earth's surface by removing the overlying soil and rock layers to extract resources, which matches the first option. The other options describe different processes: chemical dissolution (leaching), tunnel construction (for transport, not mining), and deep pit storage (not extraction).

Answer:

removing the Earth's surface to extract resources