surface mine
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To extract ore or minerals by removing the surface layers of earth: "surface mine" specifically refers to the mining method of excavating material from an open pit or by removing the overlying soil and rock (overburden) to access the desired resource near the earth's surface.
Usage
- The verb "surface mine" describes the industrial activity of open-pit or strip mining. It is typically used in technical, environmental, and industrial contexts.
- Common Constructions:
to surface mine [a resource/material](e.g., coal, copper, iron ore).[An area/company] is surface mined for [a resource].
Examples
- Verb:
- The company plans to surface mine the hillside for coal deposits.
- This region was extensively surface mined for copper in the last century.
- Environmentalists argue that it is damaging to surface mine such ecologically sensitive land.
Advanced Usage
- "to be surface mined" (passive voice): Describes land or resources that have undergone or are undergoing this extraction process.
- The entire valley has been surface mined, leaving a scarred landscape.
Variants and Related Words
- Surface mining (n): The general noun for this extraction method.
- Surface mining is often less expensive than underground mining.
- Strip-mine (v/n): A near-synonymous term, often used interchangeably with "surface mine" as a verb.
- Open-pit mining (n): A specific type of surface mining for deeply buried deposits, creating a large pit.
- Overburden (n): The soil and rock that must be removed to access the ore during surface mining.
Synonyms
- Strip-mine (verb): To extract minerals by stripping away surface layers.
- Excavate: To dig out and remove material (a broader term that includes surface mining).
Related Phrases
- Mountaintop removal mining: A specific and controversial form of surface mining for coal.
- Open-cast mining: Another term for surface mining, commonly used in British English.
Verb
- extract (ore) from a strip-mine