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