A - E

A

Acid Mine »
Mine water that contains free sulfuric acid mainly due to the weathering of iron pyrites.

Adit »
A near Horizontal passage from the surface by which a mine is entered and deatred. A blind horizontal opening into a mountain, with only one entrance.

Active Workings »
Any place in a mine where miners are normally required to work or travel and which are ventilated and inspected regularly.

Advance »
Mining in the same direction,or order of sequence, first mining as distinguished from retreat.

Air split »
The division of a current of air into two or more parts.

Air way »
Any passage through which air is carried. also known as an air course.

Anemometer »
Instrument for messuring air velocity.

Angle of dip »
The angle at which strata or mineral deposits are inclined to the horizontal plane.

Angle of repose »
The maximam angle of horizontal at which a given matarial will rest on a given surface wethout sliding or rolling.

Anticline »
An upward fold or arch of rock strata.

Aquifer »
A water bearing bed of porous rock, often sandstone.

Arching »
Fracture processes around a mine openin,leading to stabilization by an arching effect.

Area (an airway) »
Average width multiplied by average height of air airway, expressed in square feet.

Auger »
A rotary drill that uses a scrw device to penetrate,break,and then transport the drilled matarial (coal).

Auxiliary opration »
All activities supportive of but not contributing directly to mining.

Auxiliary ventilation »
Portion of main ventilating current directed to face of dead end entry by means of an auxiliary fan and tubing.

Azimuth »
A surveying turm that references the angle messured clockwise from any meridian(The established line of reference). the bearing is used to designate direction. the bearing of a line is the acute horizontal angle b/w the meridian and the line.

B

Belt conveyor »
A looped belt on which the coal or other matarial can be carried and which is generally constructed of flame resistant matarial or of reinforced rubber or rubber like substance.

Bed »
A stratum of coal or other sedimentary deposite.

Bench »
One of to or more division of a coal seam seprates by state or formed by the process of cutting the coal.

Beneficiation »
The treatment of mined matarial, making it more concentrated or richer.

Berm »
A pile or mound of matarial capable restraining a vehicle.

Binder »
A streak of impurity ina coal seam.

Bituminous coal »
A middle rank coal formed by additional pressure and heat on lignite.

Blasting agent »
Any matarial consisting of a mixture of a fuel and an oxidizer.

Blasting cap »
A detonator containing a charge of detonating compound,which is ignited b electric current or the spark of a fuse. used for detonating explosives.

Blasting circuit »
Electric circuit used to fire electric detonators or to ignite an ignite an igniter cord by means of an electric starter.

Borhole »
Any deep or long drill-hole,usually associated with a diamond drill.

Bottom »
Floor or underlying surface of an underground excavation.

Boss »
Any member of the managerial rank who is directly in charge of miners.

Breakethrough »
A passage for ventilation that is cut through he pillars between rooms.

Brow »
A low place in the roof of a mine, giving insufficient headroom.

C

Cage »
In a mine shaft, the device similar to an elevator car, that is used for hoisting personnel and materials.

Calorific Value »
The quantity of heat that can be liberated from one pound of coal or oil measured in BTU's.

Canopy »
A protective covering of a cab on a mining machine.

Cap »
A miner's safety helmet. Also, a highly sensitve, encapsulated explosive that is used to detonate large but less sensitive explosives.

Cap Block »
A flat piece of wood inserted between the top of the prop and the roof to provide bearing support.

Car »
A railway wagon, especially any of the wagons adapted to carrying coal, ore, and waste underground.

Car-Dump »
The mechanism for unloading a loaded car.

Caste »
A directed throw, in strip-mining, the overburden is cast from the coal to the previously mined area.

Certified »
Describes a person who has passed an examination to do a required job.

Chain Conveyor »
A conveyor on which the material is moved along solid pans by the action of scraper crossbars attached to powered chains.

Cleat »
The vertical cleavage of coal seams. The main set of joints along which coal breaks when mined.

Coal Dust »
Particles of coal that can pass a No. 20 sieve.

Coal Reserves »
Measured tonnages of coal that have been calculated to occur in a coal seam within a particular property.

Coal Gasification »
The Conversion of coal into gaseous fuel.

Coke »
A hard, dry carbon substance produced by heating coal to very high temperature in the absence of air.

Collar »
The term applied to the timbering or conrete around the mouth or top of a shaft. The beginning point of a shaft or drill hole at the surface.

Colliery »
British name for coal mine.

Comminution »
The breaking, crushing, or grinding of coal, ore, or rock.

Contour »
An imaginary line that connects all pointson a surface having the same elevation.

D

Deposit »
Mineral deposit or ore deposit is used to designate a natural occurrence of useful mineral, in sufficient extent.

Depth »
Denotes vertical depth below the surface.

Detectors »
Specialized chemical or electronic instruments used to detect mine gases.

Detonator »
A device containing a small detonating charge that is used for detonating an explosive.

Development »
Work undertaken to open up coal reserves as distinguished from the work of actual coal extraction.

Diffusion »
Blending of a gas and air,resulting in a homogeneous mixture.

Diffuser Fan »
A fan mounted on a continuous miner to assist and direct air delivery from the machine to the face.

Dilute »
To lower the concentration of a mixture.

Dilution »
The contamination of ore with barren wall rock in stoping.

Dip »
The inclination of a geological structure from the horizontal.It is always measured downwards at right angle to the strike.

Dome »
A rock structure containing the oldest strata at the inner portion and youngest at the outer portion.

Dragline »
A large excavation machine used in surface mining to remove overburden covering the coal seam.

Drainage »
The process of removing surplus ground or surface water either by artificial means or by gravity flow.

Drift »
A horizontal passage underground.A drift follows the veins,as distinguished from a crosscut that intersects it.

Drift Mine »
An u/g coal mine in which the entry or access is above water leveland generally on the slope of a hill,driven horizontally into a coal seam.

Drill »
A machine utilizing rotation,percussion, or a combination of both to make holes.

Drilling »
The use of such a machine to createholes for exploration or for loading with explosives.

Dummy »
A bag filled with sand,clay etc., used for stemming a charged hole.

Dump »
To unload;specially, a load of coal or waste.

E

Electrical Grounding »
To connect with the ground to make the earth part of the circuit.

Entry »
An u/g horizontal or near-horizontal passage used for haulage,ventilatio, or as a mainway; a coal heading; a working place where the coal is extracted from the seam in the initial mining.

Evaluation »
The work involved in gaining a knowledge of the size,shape,position and value of coal.

Exploration »
The search for mineral deposits and the work doe to prove or establish the extent of a mineral deposit.

Explosive »
Any rapidly combustive or expanding substance.The energy released during this rapid combustion or expansion can be used to break rock.

Extraction »
The process of mining and removal of coal or ore from a mine.