A box cut serves as the first step in the excavation of most mining areas.

It
consists of a single rectangular cut made in the surface of the earth, forming a
box shape. Box cut mining is primarily used for extracting coal, but may also be
applied to other types of materials ranging from metals to minerals.
Depending on where these materials lay in relation to the surface of the earth,
a box cut may be the sole excavation method used on a project, or may be the
first of many methods employed.

In basic strip or surface mining, workers start by using a dragline excavator to

create a box cut along the length of the site. The earth and rocks removed from
this cut are set aside above ground for later reuse. Workers then enter
the trench created by the box cut and mine all available minerals and ore. Once
the trench has been stripped, the soil and rocks are used to refill the box cut.
Workers may continue this process across the land, cutting and filling one strip
at a time before moving on to the next.