Types of Mining
A surface mining technique that extracts minerals from an open pit in the ground
Open-pit Mining
Obtaining minerals from the ground
Mining
industrial process that removes impurities from a substance
Refining
Any method of surface coal mining that removes a mountaintop or ridgeline
Mountaintop Removal
Unwanted rock and other waste materials produced when a material is mined
Spoils
A process for recovering gold and silver by trickling cyanide solutions through low-grade ore that has been stacked on open-air pads
Cyanide Heap Leaching
Surface Mining
A naturally occurring solid material (rock) from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted
Ore
The impurities left after acquiring the Target mineral
Tailings
The removal of soil and rock above a layer or seam, followed by the removal of the exposed mineral
Strip Mining
Large portions of soil and rock overlying mineral deposits
Overburden
The material that is acquired after the heating/ chemical application of ore
Target Mineral