Mining terminology
Mining terminology Manual
N
Nugget
A mixture of water, clay, and solid materials.
O
Overburden
The earth layers covering rocks or coal.
Ore Body
A large concentration of ore within the Earth.
Open-pit Mining
The extraction of minerals from an open surface.
Ore
A rocks that contains a mineral which can be extracted economically.
P
Placer Mining
The extraction of minerals from river or sea deposits.
Panning
The process of separating heavy minerals by washing sand.
Pit
An open area from which minerals have been extracted.
R
Refining
The process that mined material undergoes so as to remove all undesirable minerals and separate the desired elements.
Reef
A rock formation containing valuable minerals.
Room and Pillar Mining
The extraction of minerals by creating rooms and leaving pillars to support the roof.
Renewing
The restoration and renewal of an area after mineral extraction.
Reserve
A known quantity of mineral can be economically extracted.
Run-of-Mine
Materials extracted without any preliminary processing.
S
Shaft
A deep vertical opening used to access underground layers in the mines.