A mine where the material above the ore is removed (stripped) to expose it for removal and use
A strip mine is a mine in which the coal, metal, or mineral is near the surface, and so underground passages are not needed. An open mine, especially a coal mine, whose seams or outcrops run close to ground level and are exposed by the removal of topsoil and overburden. a very large hole that is made in the ground to remove metal, coal etc from the earth British Equivalent: opencast mining