Comprehensive Glossary of Mining Terms and Processes

A

• Abandoned Mine: Excavations that are deserted and not intended for further mining.
• Acid Mine Drainage: Acidic drainage from coal mines, especially bituminous.
• Adit: Horizontal opening providing mine access.
• Anthracite: Hard coal with high fixed carbon, low volatile matter; difficult to ignite but produces intense heat.

B

• Backfill: Material used to refill mine openings.
• Belt Conveyor: A moving belt for transporting materials, widely used in mining operations.
• Bituminous Coal: Also known as soft coal, high in carbonaceous matter with 15-50% volatile material.

C

• Cap Lamp: A miner's lamp worn on a safety hat.
• Cathode: Negative terminal in an electrolytic system, opposite of anode.
• Coal: Carbonaceous rock formed by decomposed vegetation, ranging from brown coal to anthracite.
• Colliery: A mining plant, commonly associated with anthracite mining.

D

• Deep Mining: Mining operations below 3,000 feet, also known as underground mining.
• Drill: Cutting tool used to produce circular holes in various materials.

F

• Face: The working surface from which coal or mineral is extracted.
• Fault: A break in rock continuity, leading to separation and displacement of rock strata.

G

• Gob: Waste materials stored underground in a mine.
• Ground Water: Water located below the surface, important for mine safety and operations.

H

• Haulage: Movement of materials (coal, ore, etc.) underground or on the surface.
• Highwall: Unexcavated face in a surface mining operation, typically a steep bank or side of a pit.

L

• Lignite: A type of brownish-black coal that is less mature than bituminous coal.
• Longwall Mining: Method where a long face of coal is mined in one operation, often with the roof collapsing behind it.

M

• Methane: A colorless, odorless gas found in coal mines, formed by organic matter decomposition.
• Mine Car: A vehicle used to transport coal and other materials within a mine.

O

• Open-Cut Mining: Surface mining where overburden is removed to extract minerals near the surface.

R

• Reclamation: The process of restoring land to its original condition post-mining.
• Room and Pillar Mining: Method of mining coal or minerals in which "rooms" of material are mined, leaving "pillars" to support the roof.

S

• Shaft: A vertical or inclined excavation for hoisting materials or ventilating mines.
• Strip Mining: Surface mining where overburden is removed to extract coal, often in shallow seams.

T

• Timbering: The process of setting up supports in a mine to prevent collapses.

V

• Volatile Matter: Gases and vapors, excluding moisture, released during heating processes in coal and coke.

W

• Wall: The side of a longwall mining face or rib of coal between two rooms.
• Washery: A facility where ore or coal is cleaned from impurities.

The glossary provides technical definitions crucial for understanding mining operations, from equipment like conveyors and drills to processes like strip mining and reclamation.