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dead zone

That part of the mined strata that has completely settled down after
subsidence. Briggs

dealer

An operator on the stock exchange who buys and sells on his or her own
account and who makes a profit from differences in prices rather than from
commissions. Hoover

debacle

a. A breakup on a river, esp. on the great rivers of the former U.S.S.R.
and of North America. AGI
b. The rush of water, broken ice, and debris in a stream immediately
following a breakup. Syn:ice run
c. Any sudden, violent, destructive flood, deluge, or rush of water that
breaks down opposing barriers and sweeps before it debris of all
kinds.---Etymol: French debacle. AGI

Deblanchol rotary furnace

A cylindrical refractory-lined shell, provided with a gas flue leading to
a recuperator at one end, and a fuel and air port at the other. Air for
combustion is preheated in the recuperator, and oil firing is adopted. The
furnace may be used for melting gray iron and nonferrous metals.
Osborne

debris

Any surficial accumulation of loose material detached from rock masses by
chemical and mechanical means, as by decay and disintegration. It consists
of rock fragments, soil material, and sometimes organic matter. The term
is often used synonymously with detritus, although debris has a broader
connotation. Etymol: French debris. Pl: debris. Syn:rock waste
AGI

debris bag

A dirt-filled bag used for pack walls and chocks. See also:sandbag
Nelson

debris cone

See:alluvial cone

debris deposits

Refuse from hydraulic mining operations, tailings.

decalescence

A phenomenon associated with the transformation of alpha iron to gamma
iron on the heating (superheating) of iron or steel, revealed by the
darkening of the metal surface owing to the sudden decrease in temperature
caused by the fast absorption of the latent heat of transformation.
Syn:point of decalescence

decalescence point

See:critical point

decantation

The settlement of a solid from a liquid, and removal of the clear liquid.

decanter

a. An apparatus for sorting and classifying tailings from gold-washing
operations.
b. A vessel used to decant or to receive decanted liquids.
Webster 3rd

decarbonation

The process of driving off carbon dioxide from a carbonate mineral, e.g.,
magesite, MgCO3 , to form periclase, MgO .

decarburization

The loss of carbon from the surface of a ferrous alloy as a result of
heating in a medium that reacts with the carbon at the surface.
ASM, 1

decay

The general disaggregation of rocks; it includes the effects of both the
chemical and mechanical agents of weathering with, however, a stress on
the chemical effects. Stokes

decay distance

The distance between an area of wave generation and a point of passage of
the resulting waves outside the area. Hy

dechenite

Natural PbV2 O6 ; not established as a valid mineral
species.

decibar

The pressure exerted per square centimeter by a column of sea water 1 m
tall is approx. 1 decibar. The depth in meters and the pressure in
decibars, therefore, are expressed by nearly the same numerical value.
Hy

decibel

The unit for measuring sound intensity. Crispin

decision function

Rule made to control a specific sampling investigation, which defines the
point at which no further observations are to be made, and the nature of
the decision that is to be agreed upon. In a series of sampling
operations, each successive decision function depends on those that have
preceded it. Pryor, 3

deck

a. One of the separate compartments or platforms into which a cage is
divided to hold cars. See also:multideck cage
b. The surface of a concentrating table. Nelson
c. The refractory top of a car used in a tunnel kiln or bogie kiln.
Dodd