a. Said of crystals appearing to have a higher symmetry than their
internal structure due to twinning, distortion, or interfacial angles at
or close to a more symmetric form.
b. Said of crystals showing highly complex pseudosymmetry.
CF:pseudosymmetry
c. A tectonite with a deformation fabric influenced by preexisting
structural anisotropy; also the fabric itself.
A monoclinic mineral, Pb5 Cl(AsO4 )3 ; apatite group,
with arsenate replaced by phosphate; pseudohexagonal; resinous; sp gr,
7.3; in oxidized zones of lead-ore deposits. Syn:mimetesite; campylite;
mimetene. CF:hedyphane
See:end member
A monoclinic mineral, VO(SO4 ).5H2 O ; a blue efflorescence
at Minasragra, near Cerro de Pasco, Peru.
a. An opening or excavation in the ground for the purpose of extracting
minerals; a pit or excavation from which ores or other mineral substances
are taken by digging; an opening in the ground made for the purpose of
taking out minerals, and in case of coal mines, commonly a worked vein; an
excavation properly underground for digging out some usual product, such
as ore, metal, or coal, including any deposit of any material suitable for
excavation and working as a placer mine; collectively, the underground
passage and workings and the minerals themselves. Ricketts
b. A work for the excavation of minerals by means of pits, shafts, levels,
tunnels, etc., as opposed to a quarry, where the whole excavation is open.
In general, the existence of a mine is determined by the mode in which the
mineral is obtained, and not by its chemical or geological character. The
term also includes only excavations for their minerals or valuable mineral
deposits. Ricketts
c. An excavation beneath the surface of the ground from which mineral
matter of value is extracted. The word carries the sense of laborers
working beneath a cover of ground and thus excludes oil, brine, and sulfur
wells. Excavations for the extraction of ore or other economic minerals
not requiring work beneath the surface are designated by a modifying word
or phrase as: (1) opencut mine--an excavation for removing minerals that
is open to the weather; (2) steam shovel mine--an opencut mine in which
steam shovels or other power shovels are used for loading cars; (3) strip
mine--a stripping; an opencut mine in which the overburden is removed from
a coalbed before the coal is taken out; (4) placer mine--a deposit of
sand, gravel, or talus from which some valuable mineral is extracted; and
(5) hydraulic mine--a placer mine worked by means of a stream of water
directed against a bank of sand, gravel, or talus; soft rock similarly
worked. A quarry from which rock is extracted becomes a mine when it is
carried under cover. Mines are commonly known by the mineral or metal
extracted such as bauxite mines, copper mines, silver mines, coal mines,
etc. Hess
d. The terms mine and coal mine are intended to signify any and all parts
of the property of a mining plant, either on the surface or underground,
that contribute directly or indirectly to the mining or handling of coal
or ore. Fay
e. The term mine, as applied by quarrymen, is applied to underground
workings having a roof of undisturbed rock. It is used in contrast with
the open pit quarry. Fay
f. To dig a mine; to get ore, metals, coal, or precious stones out of the
earth; to dig into, as the ground, for ore or metal; to work in a mine.
Webster 3rd
g. An active mining area, including all land and property placed under, or
above the surface of such land, used in or resulting from the work of
extracting metal ore or minerals from their natural deposits by any means
or method, including secondary recovery of metal ore from refuse or other
storage piles, wastes, or rock dumps and mill tailings derived from the
mining, cleaning, or concentration of metal ores. CFR, 7
The concentration of gases, including oxygen, that are present in a mine.
Safe levels are maintained through ventilation. Measured at any point at
least 12 in (30.5 cm) away from the back, face, rib, and floor in any
mine. CFR, 1
a. An area of ore deposits that can be worked by excavations above the
water level. Craigie
b. The ground at the top of a mining shaft. Craigie
Elevator used to transport workers in a lined shaft; available in open,
semienclosed or fully enclosed models with a choice of sliding, folding,
or rollup doors. Cages are used in either vertical or incline mine shafts.
All cages are required to contain necessary safety features.
Best, 1
a. A superintendent of a mine. Standard, 2
b. The director of work in a mine, with or without superior officials or
subordinates. Fay
c. In metal mining, a foreman who supervises the extraction, hauling, and
hoisting of ore in a mine. Also called ground boss. DOT
One of the cars that are loaded at production points and hauled to the pit
bottom or surface in a train by locomotives or other power. They vary in
capacity, and are either of wood or steel construction or combinations of
both. Mine cars have been classified into six kinds: (1) the solid or box
type, which requires a rotary dump at the unloading terminal; (2) the
rocker dump type, which has a V-shaped body rounded at the bottom; (3) the
gable-bottom car, which is shaped like a capital W in cross section; (4)
the Granby car, a special form of a side-dumping car; (5) bottom-dump
cars; and (6) end-dump cars, which are commonly used for hand tramming in
small mines. See also:drop-bottom car; endgate car; gable-bottom car;
Granby car; solid car. BCI; Kentucky; Lewis
In anthracite coal mining; bituminous coal mining; metal mining; nonmetal
mining, a person who repairs or replaces damaged parts of mine (pit) cars,
such as axles, wheels, bodies, and couplings, by straightening, bolting,
riveting, refitting, or making new parts as required. Also called car
whacker; pit-car repairer. DOT
The relation between pressure, p, and volume, Q, in the ventilation of a
mine. If the resistance, R, of the mine is known, then the mine
characteristic can be expressed as p=RQ2 . The curve of this
equation for a particular mine may thus be plotted on the same axes as the
characteristics of a fan. The point of intersection of this curve, termed
the mine characteristic, with the pressure characteristic of the fan,
indicates the pressure and volume at which the fan would work in
ventilating that mine. Knowing the volume and pressure, the power and
efficiency are obtained. The suitability of any fan to any mine can be
studied, and the effect of possible changes in mine resistance may be
predicted. Roberts, 1
As a graphical aid to the solution of problems in mine ventilation, the
mine head (static and/or total) is often plotted against the quantity.
This is called the mine characteristic curve, or simply the mine
characteristic. Hartman, 2
Mines create special problems in proper ventilation by their isolation
from fresh air sources, and the presence of dangerous gases and dusts.
Large fans are used for the stationary systems, while small portable types
provide fresh air in dead-ends and other inaccessible locations. These
fans may be driven by electricity or compressed air, and in addition to
mine operations, are useful for work in manholes, pipe galleries, silos,
tanks, vats, plane fuselages, ship holds, etc. The Mine Safety and Health
Administration, Department of Labor can furnish specific recommendations
concerning special problems. Best, 1
Representatives chosen by the union employees to confer with the
representatives of the company; corresponds in mining to shop committees
in manufacturing. Also called pit committee. BCI
The total amount of heat, sensible and latent, which must be removed by
the air in the working places. Hartman, 2
The term employed to designate the operations involved in preparing a mine
for ore extraction. These operations include tunneling, sinking,
crosscutting, drifting and raising. Jackson, 3
See:miner's dial
See:trapdoor; door.
See:drainage; drain tunnel; water hoist.