Mining

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Word Menu > Nature > The Earth > Geology > Mining

adit - almost horizontal passageway into mine
afterdamp - mixture of gases left in mine after explosion of fire
airway - ventilating passage in mine
assay - analysis of ore or alloy to determine proportion and purity of components; (vb) make such an analysis
bed - layer, stratum, or substance in which minerals or ores are lodged
bench - working elevation platform in mine
blackdamp - chokedamp
black lung - disease caused by inhalation of coal dust
bonanza - rich vein of ore
bore - (vb) make mine tunnel by drilling
borehole - hole drilled in earth to extract core or release gas, oil, or water
borrow pit - excavated area from which material has been removed to fill another spot
brattice - air passage in mine formed of planks or cloth lining the tunnel
breast - face or heading where work is occurring
cave-in - collapse of mine shaft or tunnel
chokedamp - mine atmosphere that is low in oxygen, causing choking; blackdamp
claim - piece of land staked out by one person who has exclusive rights to mine it
clinker - hard mass of stony matter fused in furnace from coal impurities
coal car - open railroad car for transporting coal from mine
coal gas - gas produced by destructive distillation of bituminous coal
collar - topmost rim of vertical shaft in mine
collier - coal miner; ship for transporting coal
colliery - coal mine and its equipment
continuous cutter - machine that takes coal from mine face and loads it onto cars or conveyors
core - cylindrical sample of mineral or rock extracted from ground by hollow drill that leaves strata intact
corf - small cart for transporting coal or ore
cradle - box on rockers for washing sand or gravel to separate gold; rocker
crosscut - cut made across vein
culm - coal dust
cupel - small, shallow, porous cup used in assaying gold and silver
deposit - minerals or ores laid down by nature; location where minerals are found
dig - excavation
distillation - purification by heating to separate more volatile parts of mixture, then cooling and condensing vapor to produce more refined substance
drift - horizontal passageway in mine; gallery
drill - (vb) bore deep hole into earth, esp. seeking oil
excavation - hole or cavity dug into earth to find minerals
extraction - removal or separation of mineral from ore
face - front or end of excavation and location of mined substance
firedamp - combustible gases in coal mine, esp. methane
footwall - top of rock stratum beneath vein or bed of ore
gallery - small tunnel for inspection or drainage; drift
gangue - worthless mineral matter associated with valuable metallic mineral deposits; matrix
gangway - primary, level passageway in mine
gold rush - large, sudden influx of miners to area where large vein of gold has been discovered
gondola - open railroad car with low sides used for carrying coal
gusher - high-capacity, flowing oil well
heading - road or level leading into coal deposit where mining occurs
horse - mass of rock within lode or vein
jack-up rig - floating offshore drill rig with retractable legs that lift hull above water level
jig - device for separating ore by shaking in water
kerf - deep cut a few inches high, used to undermine coal or mineral seam
ledge - underground rock layer
lode - ore deposit; vein; reef
longwall - continuous face being mined, with roof supported by temporary supports
matrix - gangue
mine - large excavation in Earth from which to extract metallic ores, coal, precious stones, or salt
mine car - small, open, low-sided vehicle for moving coal within mine, often on rails
miner - person whose work is digging in a mine; mineworker
mineworker - miner
mining - process of removing ores, coal, and precious metals from Earth
mining engineer - designer and builder of mines
mother lode - main vein of ore in particular region
muck - useless materials to be removed in order to get at desired mineral
offshore drilling - sinking of oil wells into ocean bottom from floating platforms
oil well - shaft into earth with pump for extracting crude petroleum
open cut - designating mine in which excavation is performed from the surface
ore - mineral embedded in the earth
orebody - well-defined mass of ore-bearing rock
panning - washing gravel in porous pan when searching for gold
pay dirt - spot that can be mined successfully
pillar - isolated mass of rock or ore that serves as roof support in early stages of mining operations
pinch - (vb) diminish a vein to nothing
pit - man-made cavity in ground for mining
pithead - mine entrance and adjacent area
placer - glacial deposit of gravel or sand that contains heavy ore minerals eroded from bedrock and that is concentrated as small particles that can be washed out
pocket - usu. isolated body of ore in ground
portal - entrance to mine tunnel
power shovel - usu. diesel-powered excavating shovel
prospect - place where mineral deposits are sought; (vb) search for ore
prospector - person searching for valuable ores
pulp - pulverized ore
quarry - place where stone is excavated by cutting and blasting
reef - lode or vein
refinery - facility for purifying crude oil or raw metal
riddle - coarse sieve for grading gravel
riffle - grooved lining at bottom of sluice, used to collect particles of ore
road - tunnel used for hauling excavated material
rocker - cradle
safety lamp - lamp designed so as to avoid ignition of mine gases
salt - (vb) scatter minerals or ores in mine to deceive prospective buyers
scuttle - deep bucket for carrying coal
seam - relatively thin stratum or bed
shaft - long, narrow, vertical or slanting passage sunk into earth
shoot - small tunnel branching off from larger tunnel
shortwall - mine with face one-third the length of a longwall, mined by continuous cutter
slack - fine coal screenings
sluice - sloping trough or flume through which water is run in washing gold ore
smelt - (vb) melt or fuse ore to separate impurities and extract pure metal
spoil - waste material from excavation
stannary - Chiefly Brit. tin-mining region
stope - steplike excavation formed by removal of ore from around shaft
strike - discovery of rich deposit of ore, coal, or minerals
strip mining - mining, esp. for coal, by laying bare deposits near surface rather than sinking shaft
stull - timber prop between walls of stope
tailings - residue of mining
tailrace - channel for carrying off tailings
tipple - apparatus for emptying coal from mine car
tram - car on rails for conveying loads in mine
trepan - heavy boring tool for opening shafts or quarrying
trommel - revolving cylindrical sieve for screening ore
tunnel - usu. horizontal passageway in mine
vein - lengthy, regularly shaped bed of useful mineral matter that fills narrow water channel in rock and earth; lode; reef
vug - cavity in rock or lode, often lined with crystals
wash - (vb) separate ore or stones by passing water through gravel or earth
well - shaft sunk into earth to tap underground supply of oil, gas, or water
wellhead - machinery standing above opening of oil or gas well
wellhole - shaft of oil or gas well
well log - record of geological formations encountered while drilling a well
wildcat - oil well drilled in area without known oil deposits
winze - inclined shaft that connects levels in mine
workings - active portion of mine or quarry