Virginia’s Economy

Virginia GeoInquiry 8

Strip coal mine in western Virgiunia near Wise.

How do people in Virginia make a living? Explore Virginia’s natural, human, and capital resources in this GeoInquiry. How does economic activity affect the landscape? The GeoInquiry begins with a look at the location of Virginia’s coal mines in the Appalachian region. Students explore the two types of coal mines–strip mines and underground mines.

The second portion of the GeoInquiry traces the route of coal via railroads to the ports of Hampton Roads. Students then examine the final destinations of the coal on a world map.

Using slides from ArcGIS Online’s Scene students view both types of mines and interpret images to assess the effects of coal mining on the landscape. Most current browsers support WebGL needed for the viewing the 3D slides. If not, the browser needs to have settings for hardware acceleration enabled. The GeoInquiry document contains a link for more information on settings for WebGL.

Key Questions

  • Where are Virginia’s coal mines?
  • How do coal mines change the landscape?
  • How is coal transported?
  • How do ports differ?
  • Where does Virginia’s coal go?

Virginia’s Economy and Resources Web Map

Materials