A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - W
Aluminium: Very common shiny white metal. Its principal ore is
bauxite.
Asbestos: Term used to designate fibrous silicate minerals which
are nonflammable.
Antimony: White, greyish or yellowish crystalline chemical element.
Archeology: Science which studies ancient things produced by man.
Arsenic: Steel-grey brittle chemical element found in nature in
the form of sulfide.
Anchor cable: Steel rope inserted in the roof of an underground
gallery to increase its stability.
Acid rain: Rain which is corrosive and causes environmental destruction.
Bacteria: One-celled organisms, without a nucleus,
classed as plants.
Basalt: Black extrusive igneous rock with fine crystals.
Bucket hibble: Container used to transport material in a mine.
Bismuth: Very brittle shiny metal with a red lustre.
Blister or black copper: Approximately 99% pure copper.
Bar: Mass of metal that retains the shape of its casting mold.
Battery: Device that converts chemical energy into electric energy.
Bituminous sands: Sands impregnated with petroleum.
Copper anode: Copper plate used as a positive electrode.
Clay: Very fine-grained sedimentary rock. It is a soft rock that
forms a paste when mixed with water, and hardens when baked. It is mainly
used to make bricks.
Compass: An instrument that points to the North.
Carbonatite: Igneous rock composed of 80% carbonate crystals (including
calcite). It often contains minerals of economic value.
Core sample: Cylindrical portion of rock measuring a few centimetres
wide and several metres long taken from the subsoil.
Cassiterite: Light brown to black mineral, with a red lustre, composed
of tin and oxygen. It is a tin ore.
Chalcopyrite: Greenish-yellow mineral composed of copper, iron
and sulfur. It is a copper ore.
Coal: Black sedimentary rock composed mainly of plant matter. It
is used as a fuel.
Chromite: Brownish to black mineral composed of chromium, iron
and oxygen and sometimes magnesium and aluminium. It is the only ore mined
for chromium.
Claim: Mining title that guarantees the holder the exclusive right
to mineral resources on a parcel of land.
Concentrator: Plant for concentrating ore.
Conglomerate: Sedimentary rock containing at least 50% rock fragments
measuring over 2 mm in diameter.
Conveyor: Moving carpet used to transport crushed rock.
Corrosion: Destruction of a material (rock, mineral, metal, etc.)
by chemical reaction with a substance.
Crust: Uppermost part of the Earth. It is 7 km to 12 km deep beneath
the oceans and 30 km to 70 km deep beneath the continents.
Copper: Malleable and ductile reddish-orange metal. Its principal
ore is chalcopyrite.
Chemical element: Substance that makes up matter.
Core: Part of the Earth located at a depth of 5,100 km to 6,370
km (the centre of the Earth). It is believed to consist mainly of iron
and nickel.
Cable pusher: Device used to drill holes and insert anchor cables
in the roof of underground galleries.
Copper sulfate: Chemical compound composed of copper, sulfur and
oxygen.
Density: Mass of a given volume of a substance.
Dolomite: White or yellowish to brownish mineral composed of calcium,
magnesium, carbon and oxygen.
Drainage: Runoff of excess water from an area.
Diamond drilling: A cylindrical tool impregnated with diamonds
is used to dig a hole several centimetres wide and extract a core sample.
It reveals the composition of a deep-seated mineral deposit.
Drill: Machine used to drill holes in rock.
Deposit: Mineral body that can be mined profitably.
Emulsion cartridge: Explosive that can be used in
water.
Electrical conductivity: Ability of a substance to conduct electricity.
Ecosystem: Environment in which living things live and reproduce.
Electrolysis: Chemical decomposition of a substance by the passage
of an electric current through it.
Fault: Fracture in a mass of rock causing a relative
shift in the separated segments.
Feldspar: Transparent or whitish, often greyish mineral, may also
be pink, green or black, composed of potassium, sodium or calcium combined
with aluminium, silicon and oxygen. It is used chiefly in the ceramics
industry.
Gel cartridge: Water-impermeable explosive.
Gabbro: Intrusive igneous rock, green to blackish in colour, mottled
white in varying degrees.
Gallery: Underground tunnel in a mine.
Gangue: Worthless rocks or minerals enclosing the ore.
Gas pipeline: Large-diameter pipe used to transport natural gas
over long distances.
Geochemistry: Study of the distribution of chemical elements in
rocks, minerals, water and the atmosphere.
Geology: Study of the Earth, the layers of which it is made up,
the processes the layers are subjected to, the structures formed, and
of the history of the Earth and its lifeforms.
Geophysics: Study of the features of the Earth using various methods.
Gitology: Study of mineral bodies containing one or more exploitable
metals.
Gneiss: Medium- to coarse-grained metamorphic rock in which bands
of granular minerals alternate with bands of elongated minerals.
GPS: Abbreviation for Global Positioning System, that is, global
positioning by satellite.
Granite: Intrusive whitish igneous rock composed of quartz and
feldspars.
Graphite: Soft opaque, black mineral composed of carbon. It is
immune to most acids and conducts electricity well. It is used in lead
pencils, paint, as a lubricant and an electrode.
Gravel: Small pebbles measuring from 4 mm to 64 mm in diameter.
Gold: Ductile, malleable yellow metal, found as grains or flakes
in gravel and in veins associated with quartz.
Headframe: Structure over a shaft which supports
the hoisting pulley.
Hoppit: Container used to transport material in a mine.
Hematite: Black to steel-grey mineral composed of iron and oxygen.
It is the principal ore of iron.
Hydrology: Study of water (solid and liquid), its properties, distribution,
and circulation on and under the Earth's surface.
Hydrometallurgy: Industrial process that uses chemicals to separate
metals from their ore.
Hydraulic drill: Mechanical percussion tool, moved by oil, used
to break up the rock.
Iron: Grey-white metal used chiefly in steelmaking.
Hematite is a type of iron ore.
Ilmenite: Opaque brown to black mineral, composed of iron, titanium
and oxygen. It is a type of titanium ore.
Impurities: Undesirable chemical elements or minerals.
Limestone: Grey sedimentary rock containing at least
50% calcite (calcium carbonate). It is a soft rock often containing fossils.
Lime: Calcium oxide obtained by calcining limestone at 600-800
ºC. It is mainly used to make cement.
Lead: Soft, malleable bluish-grey metal. Its principal ore is galena
(lead sulfide).
Loading pocket: Container used to transport material in a mine.
Magnesium: Light silvery-white malleable metal.
Magnetism: Force of attraction or repulsion exerted by a metallic
substance.
Magnetite: Opaque black magnetic mineral composed of iron and oxygen.
It is one of the principal ores of iron.
Mantle: Part of the Earth between the crust and the core, located
at a depth of 30 km to 2,900 km.
Marble: Metamorphic rock derived from limestone and dolomite.
Mucking: Operation whereby the ore is removed from the stope.
Matte: Mixture of copper and iron sulfide produced by the first
smelting of the ore.
Metallurgy: Study of the separation of metals from the their ore
by smelting and refining.
Mica: Black, white, pinkish, purplish or yellowish mineral that
splits into thin flakes and is composed mainly of potassium, sodium, magnesium
or iron combined with aluminium, silicon and oxygen. It is chiefly used
in industry.
Microseismics: Study of small earthquakes.
Mine: Underground opening used to mine a deposit.
Mineral: Crystalline, inorganic, natural chemical substance. Almost
4,000 minerals have been identified to date.
Mineralization: Local concentration of metallic minerals.
Mine shaft: Deep passage sunk in the Earth to reach and mine a
deposit.
Mining wastes: Worthless rocks and sludge produced during mining
activities.
Massive sulfides: Large concentration of sulfide ore in an area.
Natural gas: Gas in the methane, ethane, propane,
butane series that is often found in association with petroleum.
Native: Metallic chemical element found in nature in its pure state.
Nickel: Shiny white metal that is never pure in its natural state
as it is always associated with iron. Its principal ore is pentlandite.
Niobium: Rare grey metal used mainly in the manufacture of light,
resistant alloys. Its principal ore is pyrochlore.
Nugget: Lump of native gold without gangue.
Native plant: Plant that grows naturally in a region.
Nickel sulfate: Chemical compound composed of nickel, sulfur and
oxygen.
Ore: Valuable (usually metallic) minerals that can
be mined profitably.
Overburden: Unconsolidated rock, clay, etc.
Oxygen: Colourless odourless gas present in many minerals.
Purifier: Device used to remove impurities from a
gas or a liquid.
Pentlandite: Brownish metallic mineral composed of iron, nickel
and sulfur. It is the principal ore of nickel.
Petroleum: Black organic liquid which is processed to make fuel,
lubricants and various petrochemicals.
Platinoid: Group of metals that includes platinum, palladium, osmium,
iridium, rhodium and ruthenium.
Potash: Term used to designate carbonate, oxide or potassium hydroxide.
It is the principal ore of potassium.
Prospecting: Search for mineral or petroleum deposits of economic
value.
Pyrite: Brass-yellow mineral with a metallic lustre composed of
iron and sulfur. It is a widely found ore of sulfur and occasionally iron.
Pyrochlore: Yellow, reddish-brown, red or black mineral composed
of sodium, calcium, niobium, tantalum, oxygen, fluoride and hydrogen.
It is the principal ore of niobium.
Pyrometallurgy: Industrial process that uses heat to separate metals
from their ore.
Pyrrhotite: Yellow-brown, reddish, occasionally somewhat magnetic
mineral composed of iron and sulfur. It sometimes contains nickel and
is mined for its nickel content.
Physiographic region: Region where the relief and landscape are
uniform.
Peat: Organic matter composed of decomposing plant matter.
Quartz: Colourless, violet, yellow, brown, pink or red mineral, composed of silicon and oxygen.
Refinery: A plant for purifying metals.
Radioactivity: Ability of some atoms to give off energy in the
form of radiation (gamma rays) or particles (ex.: electrons).
Ramp: Large spiral tunnel that communicates with all levels of
the mine.
Rock: Material made of an aggregate of minerals formed from solidified
magma (igneous rock), by the recrystallization of pre-existing rocks (metamorphic
rock) or from accumulations of mineral, rock or fossiliferous fragments
or chemical elements (sedimentary rock).
Remote sensing: Method of collecting information on the Earth's
surface without being in direct contact with it. It involves the use of
cameras, detectors and radar systems.
Sulfuric acid: Corrosive chemical compound composed
of sulfur and hydrogen.
Steel: Alloy of iron and carbon (less than 1.8 %).
Slate: Fine-grained black, grey or purplish metamorphic rock. It
is used mainly to make blackboards and roof tiles.
Silver: White, malleable precious metal.
Sulfur dioxide: Toxic gas composed of oxygen and sulfur.
Smelter: Plant where the ore is smelted to extract the metal.
Sandstone: Sedimentary rock composed of at least 50% rounded grains
measuring 1/16 mm to 2 mm in diameter.
Staking: Action of marking the boundaries of a parcel of land by
driving posts (stakes) into the ground.
Sand: Sediment in which most grains (usually quartz) measure 1/16
mm to 2 mm in diameter.
Schist: Fine-grained metamorphic rock that splits into thin flakes.
Sediment: Grains transported and deposited in unconsolidated form.
Seism: Earthquake.
Salt: White mineral composed of sodium and chloride.
Serpentine: Green to blackish-green mineral which sometimes has
silky yellow-green fibres and is composed of magnesium, silicon, oxygen
and hydrogen.
Slag: Waste containing impurities produced in ore-smelting.
Shale: Fine-grained red, brown, black or grey laminated sedimentary
rock formed by the compaction of clay or mud.
Silica: Term used to designate silicon dioxide. Quartz is a silica
mineral.
Skip: Container used to transport material in mine.
Sulfur: Brittle lemon yellow chemical element found in nature in
its native state or in the form of sulfide.
Sphalerite: Yellowish to dark brown, occasionally translucent mineral
composed of zinc and sulfur. It is the principal ore of zinc.
Sulfide: Chemical compound composed of a metal and sulfur.
Syenite: Whitish igneous rock composed mainly of feldspar. It is
mined for its feldspar or as freestone.
Tin: Silvery-white metal, harder and less dense than
lead. Its principal ore is cassiterite.
Tailings pond: Pool where worthless waste rock and sludge from
mining activities are stored.
Talc: Soft greyish, green or blue mineral composed of magnesium,
silicon, oxygen and hydrogen.
Tectonics: Branch of geology that studies the architecture and
deformations of the geological regions on the surface of a planet.
Tellurium: Rare silvery-white chemical element close to the metals
(it is a non-metal).
Thorium: Radioactive grey metal.
Titanium: Very hard white metal extracted mainly from ilmenite
iron ore.
Topography: General configuration of a region.
Uranium: Hard, grey radioactive metal.
Waste rock: Worthless rock.
Wollastonite: Colourless to grey metal composed of calcium, silicon
and oxygen.
