opencast mining
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - A method of extracting minerals from the earth by removing surface layers: Opencast mining refers to the process of obtaining ore or coal from a large, open excavation or pit on the earth's surface, rather than from underground shafts or tunnels.
Usage and Examples
- Noun:
- The company proposed a new opencast mining project in the valley.
- Environmentalists are concerned about the impact of opencast mining on the landscape.
- Opencast mining is often used when the mineral deposit is located close to the surface.
Advanced Usage
- "to conduct/open/operate an opencast mining operation": To carry out the activity of surface mining.
- The firm was licensed to operate an opencast mining operation on the site.
- "opencast mining site/pit": The specific location where surface mining occurs.
- The abandoned opencast mining pit has since filled with water.
Variants and Related Words
- Open-pit mining (noun): A synonym for opencast mining, commonly used in North America.
- The copper was extracted via open-pit mining.
- Surface mining (noun): A broader term encompassing all mining methods that remove soil and rock to access mineral deposits near the surface, including opencast mining.
- Surface mining techniques include strip mining and opencast mining.
- Quarrying (noun): The process of extracting stone, sand, or minerals from an open pit, similar in method but often for different materials.
- The quarrying of limestone has shaped the local cliffs.
Synonyms
- Surface mining: Extracting minerals from shallow deposits.
- Strip mining: A type of surface mining where layers of soil and rock are stripped away to expose a mineral seam.
Related Phrases and Compounds
- Opencast mine (noun): The physical open excavation itself.
- The vast opencast mine was visible from miles away.
- Opencast coal mining (noun): The specific application of this method to extract coal.
- The region's economy was historically dependent on opencast coal mining.
Noun
- the mining of ore or coal from an open mine