Question: Surface mining for coal involves removing all the vegetation and rock above the coal being mined. Which two of Earth's subsystems are most immediately affected by surface mining?
Answer: lithosphere and biosphere
Hypothesis: surface mining affects the lithosphere and biosphere
Supporting facts: sent1: the lithosphere is made of rocks sent2: affecting an organism 's niche means affecting that organism sent3: remove means decrease sent4: underground means beneath the surface of the earth sent5: the ground is part of the earth sent6: the lithosphere is located on the the surface of the earth sent7: coal deposites are found underground sent8: vegetation means plants sent9: surface mining removes the vegetation above the coal sent10: both means two sent11: a plant is a member of a plant species sent12: plants are a part of the environment sent13: if something is beneath something else, then that something else is above that something sent14: if something is a part of something then that something can be found in that something sent15: if something affects a part of something else then that something affects that something else sent16: removing an inhibitor of a process causes that process sent17: surface mining removes rocks above the coal sent18: most means over 50% of something sent19: to impact something means to affect something sent20: vegetation is a part of the biosphere sent21: if something exists on a surface then that surface contains that something sent22: removing something is a kind of change sent23: amount is a property of something and includes ordered values of none / least / little / some / half / much / many / most / all sent24: change is a kind of impact sent25: to be affected by something is similar to depending on something
Reasoning: [BECAUSE] the lithosphere is made of rocks [AND] the lithosphere is located on the the surface of the earth [INFER] int1: the lithosphere is made of rocks on the surface of earth [BECAUSE] underground means beneath the surface of the earth [AND] coal deposites are found underground [INFER] int2: coal deposites are found beneath the surface of the earth [BECAUSE] int1 [AND] int2 [AND] if something is beneath something else, then that something else is above that something [INFER] int3: the lithosphere is made of rocks above coal deposites [BECAUSE] int3 [AND] surface mining removes rocks above the coal [INFER] int4: surface mining removes part of the lithosphere [BECAUSE] vegetation is a part of the biosphere [AND] surface mining removes the vegetation above the coal [INFER] int5: surface mining removes a part of the biosphere [BECAUSE] int4 [AND] int5 [INFER] int6: surface mining removes parts from the lithosphere and biosphere [BECAUSE] removing something is a kind of change [AND] change is a kind of impact [INFER] int7: removing something is a kind of impact [BECAUSE] int7 [AND] to impact something means to affect something [INFER] int8: removing something is a kind of effect [BECAUSE] int8 [AND] if something affects a part of something else then that something affects that something else [INFER] int9: removing a part of something affects that something [BECAUSE] int6 [AND] int9 [INFER] int10: surface mining affects the lithosphere and biosphere