Mapping mountaintop coal mining’s yearly spread in Appalachia. Duke Today, July 25, 2018. A new mapping tool shows, in more detail than ever before, the land laid bare by mountaintop coal mining in central Appalachia each year, going back more than three decades. The tool uses satellite imagery to identify and map the annual extent of mining activity across portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The researchers say the updated maps will make it easier to assess and mitigate mining’s environmental and health impacts. Picked up by Smithsonian Magazine, Gizmodo, UPI, West Virginia Public Broadcasting and NPR affiliate WOUB.