Abstract: The concept of environmental disturbance caused by surface mining is expounded in this paper. The classifi- cation method of disturbance behavior is determined based on the disturbance object and the development stage of the surface mine. The characteristics of self-recovery,process and controllability are proposed,and the theory of manage- ment and control of disturbance behavior is also presented. The basic principle of the theory is to take the baseline val- ues of the surface mine as a reference,the original environment will then be restored after mining as the lowest goal. The dynamic management and control of the whole life cycle of the disturbance behavior will be carried out to ensure that the surrounding environment will not be damaged after the mining operation of surface mine. To achieve the recon- struction and improvement of the surrounding environment,the management and control indexes of surface mining for water,atmosphere,land and ecological environment disturbance are constructed. There are four major categories and seven indexes. The concept and calculation method of DC are put forward for the first time. It will be used to quantify the environment disturbance degree of surface mine. The DC of typical surface coal mines in China is studied. The key technology system of disturbance control has been set up.