SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


Figure 25. Topographic profile of St. Johns River marsh peat deposit
 in southern Brevard County. (Prepared by the Bureau of
 Geology for this report.)


 The topography of other peat forming environments can be seen in the
cross sections showing the cypress dome type of peats (Figure 6).
These, however, are not typically mined.
 The peat mining process is an excavation process which removes the
original surface vegetation and significantly alters the topography of the
terrain. Various types of equipment are used to remove the peat and
waste material, leaving a water filled (dry, if pumped) pit. During the
course of mining, the size of the existing pit may vary from less than one
acre to tens of acres. This depends on the areal extent of the deposit,
thickness of the peat and rate of production.
 Stock piles and waste piles are the result of the mining process. The
stock piles are created to allow the peat to dry prior to shipping. These
piles vary in size and shape during the life of the mine and are not present
after mining is completed, having been depleted as peat is sold. The
waste piles, on the other hand, are not sold and remain after the comple-
tion of mining. The waste material generally consists of peat that is too
contaminated with weed seeds and sediment to be used. Generally, at
the completion of mining, the waste piles are leveled and spread around
the mine site. This is not always true since there are no required reclama-
tion procedures for peat mines. Field investigations suggest, however,
that most operators level the site at the completion of mining.
 The post-mining topography resembles the pre-mining topography if