Mining Terms

Alloy – a compound of two or more metals, usually produced by fusion

Amalgamation – a process by which gold and silver are extracted from an ore by dissolving them in mercury

Assay – to test ores or minerals by chemical or other methods for the purpose of determining the amount of valuable metals contained

Assessment Work – the amount of work specified by law, which must be done each year to retain legal control of mining lands

Autoclave – a pressured vessel which selectively extracts metals within the containment of the vessel

Baseline study – a data collection exercise designed to characterize specific chemical, physical, biological or environmental components of an area

Base Metals – nonmagnetic metals such as aluminum, lead, zinc and copper. Products made all or in part from such metals include containers, packaging, appliances, furniture, electronic equipment and aluminum foil

Copper – Cu; a ductile, malleable, reddish-brown metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity

Nickel –Ni; a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion

Casing extension – a piece of drill casing sticking up about five feet above the drill hole collar  that marks a drill hole for future identification and prevents surface water from entering the hole

Claim – a portion of mining land held under federal or provincial law

Cobalt – Co; a silver-white metal element with compounds that give it a blue coloring

Copper cathode – an electrochemically deposited rectangular plate of pure copper refined from copper-rich solutions obtained from oxide copper deposits

Conceptual study –a systematic study analyzing the siting, environmental, operation and economic issues facing future project options and occurring before the prefeasibility study

Core sample – a cylindrical section of rock drilled from the earth used to determine the geologic and chemical properties of a formation or mineral deposit

Deposit – a naturally occurring body of rock containing a concentration of useful minerals

Development – is the underground work carried out for the purpose of reaching and opening up a mineral deposit

Drill rig – a machine used to create holes in the ground to sample mineral deposits beneath the surface

Duluth Complex – 1.1 billion year old intrusive rock formations in northeastern Minnesota where Twin Metals Minnesota is interested in developing an underground copper-nickel mining operation

Environmental baseline study – a multi-disciplinary site study conducted prior to beginning project development that determines the current status of conditions on a site and identifies potential environmental vulnerabilities

Environmental Impact Study (EIS) – a written report, compiled prior to a production decision, examining the effects proposed mining activities will have on the natural surroundings

Exploration – the search for mineral deposits and the work done to establish the extent of the deposit

Gypsum – a common white or colorless mineral (hydrated calcium sulphate) used to make cements and plasters

Hard Rock Mine – an opening dug into solid rock for the sole purpose of extracting valuable or precious rocks, minerals, or metals

Hydrometallurgy – is part of the field of extractive metallurgy (is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements) involving the use of aqueous chemistry for the recovery of metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled or residual materials.

Indicated Resource – a mineral resource sampled by drill holes, underground openings or other sampling procedures at locations too widely spaced to ensure continuity but close enough to give a reasonable indication of continuity and where geo-scientific data are known with a reasonable level of reliability

Inferred Resource – a mineral resource believed to be present based on geo-scientific evidence, drill holes, underground openings, or other sampling procedures where the lack of data is such that continuity cannot be predicted with confidence and where geo-scientific data may not be known with a reasonable level of confidence

Liner – an impervious synthetic or natural barrier placed above or beneath material to prevent fluid migrations

Lode – a mineral deposit in solid rock

Mineral rights – the ownership of the minerals beneath the surface, and the right to mine or produce any of these minerals below the surface of the property

Mining – the science, technique, and business of mineral discovery and exploitation. Strictly, the word connotes underground work directed to severance and treatment of ore or associated rock. Practically, it includes opencast work, quarrying, alluvial dredging, and combined operations, including surface and underground extraction and ore treatment.

Nonferrous mining – see strategic metals

Nugget – a water-worn piece of precious metal, usually implying some size

Open Pit Mining – also known as open-cast mining and open-cut mining, refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow

Ore – any natural combination of valuable minerals amenable to profitable extraction of the contained specific mineral commodities

Plant – a group of buildings, and especially to their contained equipment, in which a process or function is carried out; on a mine it will include warehouses, hoisting equipment, compressors, repair shops, offices, mill or concentrator

Platinum Group Metals (PGM) – include palladium, platinum and rhodium. These metals are essential for the manufacture of catalysts used in environmental protection equipment such as vehicle emissions controls

Palladium – Pd; is an extremely pliable material and can be rolled into thin sheets or drawn into fine wire. It is very resistant to corrosion, but susceptible to attack from strong acids

Platinum –Pt; is soft and malleable, with good resistance to corrosion and chemical contact

Precious metals – any of several metals, including gold, silver, palladium and platinum, which have high economic value

Prefeasibility study (PFS) – a systematic study analyzing the siting, environmental, operation and economic issues facing future project options, which defines specific details of a project, occurring before environmental and regulatory review

Reclamation – the restoration of land and environmental values to a mine site after the minerals are extracted

Strategic metals – metals that are critical components of the economy and essential in a variety of industries, such as manufacturing, power generation, electronics, automotive, aircraft and aerospace, food processing, healthcare, energy development and environmental protection

Sump area – the area of a mine used as a collecting point for drainage water

Swamp mats – large wooden platforms used to protect land surfaces

Underground Mine – also known as a “deep” mine. Usually located several hundred feet below the earth’s surface, an underground mine’s ore is removed mechanically and transferred by train, hoist or conveyor to the surface

Waste Rock – the mineral wastes produced during mine development that must be removed to reach the desired minerals

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