strip-mined
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Mined near the earth's surface by stripping: Describes land or an area from which valuable minerals (like coal or ore) have been extracted by removing the top layers of soil and rock (overburden) that cover them.
Usage
- The adjective strip-mined is used to describe the state of land after the mining operation is complete. It often carries a connotation of significant environmental alteration or damage.
- It typically modifies nouns like , , , , or .
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The once-forested hills were now a barren, strip-mined landscape.
- Efforts are underway to reclaim the strip-mined land for agricultural use.
- They surveyed the strip-mined area to assess the environmental impact.
Advanced Usage
- As a past participle verb: While "strip-mined" is primarily used as an adjective, it can also function as the past tense and past participle of the verb "strip-mine."
- The company strip-mined the entire valley before regulations were enforced. (Verb, past tense)
- The coal had been strip-mined from the Appalachian region. (Verb, past participle in passive voice)
Variants and Related Words
- Strip-mine (verb): To extract minerals by removing the overlying layers of earth.
- It is controversial to strip-mine in ecologically sensitive areas.
- Strip mining (noun): The method or process of mining by stripping.
- Strip mining is often less expensive but more destructive than underground mining.
- Surface mining (noun): A broader synonym for strip mining.
- Open-pit mining (noun): A similar surface mining technique, often used for different materials or geological formations.
Synonyms
- Surface-mined: Mined from an open excavation at the earth's surface.
- Excavated: Dug out or hollowed out (a more general term).
- Quarried: Extracted (stone or other materials) from a quarry, a type of surface mine.
Antonyms
- Underground-mined: Extracted via tunnels and shafts dug deep into the earth.
- Subsurface-mined: Synonym for underground-mined.
- Unmined: Not extracted or excavated; land in its natural state.
Adjective
- mined near the earth's surface by stripping