| 
adit
|
a
horizontal or nearly horizontal underground passage coming
to the surface at one end of a mine.
|
alluvial
|
of
or pertaining to alluvium; alluvial soil.
|
alluvium
|
a
deposit of sand, mud, etc., formed by flowing water.
|
assay
|
to
analyze (an ore, alloy, etc.) in order to determine the proportion
of gold, silver, or other metal in it. |
claim
|
something
that is claimed, esp. a piece of public land for which formal
request is made for mining or other purposes. |
claim-jumper
|
a
person who seizes another's claim of land, esp. for mineral
rights. |
coyote
hole
|
a
shallow excavation dug in the ground for mineral exploration
or extraction. |
drift
|
an
approximately horizontal passageway in underground mining. |
excavation
|
an
area where rock or alluvium has been removed. |
fools
gold
|
FeS2
- iron pyrite, sometimes mistaken for gold. |
gold
|
a
precious yellow metallic element, highly malleable and ductile,
and not subject to oxidation or corrosion. Symbol: Au; atomic.
weight: 196.967; atomic number: 79 |
headframe
|
a
structure supporting the hoisting sheaves at the top of a mineshaft.
Also called gallows frame. |
lode
|
a
deposit of gold or other minerals. |
malleable
|
malleability,
property of a metal describing the ease with which it can be
hammered, forged, pressed, or rolled into thin sheets. Metals
vary in this respect; pure gold is the most malleable. |
mercury
|
a
liquid metal used by the miners to concentrate gold Symbol:
Hg; atomic. weight: 200.59; atomic number: 80 |
miner
|
a
person who works in a mine. |
mine
|
to
dig in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores or other
valuable minerals. |
Mother
Lode
|
a
belt of very rich gold-bearing quartz veins. |
nugget
|
an
random shaped piece of gold of medium to large size. |
ore
|
a
mineral-bearing rock, which may be rich enough to be mined at
a profit.
|
placer
|
alluvial
deposit containing particles or larger pieces of gold or other
minerals. |
portal
|
an
entrance to a tunnel, drift or adit in a mine. |
prospect
|
an
excavation undertaken in a search for ore. |
prospecting
|
the
search for mineral deposits suitable for mining. |
quartz
|
one
of the most common of all rock-forming minerals and one of the
most important constituents of the earth's crust. Quartz may
be transparent, translucent, or opaque; it may be colorless
to colored. |
raise
|
a
shaft excavated upward for connecting adjacent levels. The terms
“raise” and “winze” are used interchangeably
to describe a completed opening.
|
|
rake
|
a
timber placed at an angle. |
shaft
|
a
vertical or sloping opening, giving access to the various levels
of a mine. |
stalactites
|
a
deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, shaped like an icicle,
hanging from the roof of a cave or the like, and formed by the
dripping of calcareous (containing calcium) water. |
stamp
mill
|
a
mill or machine in which ore is crushed to powder by means of
heavy stamps or pestles. |
stope
|
any
upward excavation made in a mine, esp. from a steeply inclined
vein, to remove the ore that has been rendered accessible by
the shafts and drifts. |
tailings
|
refuse
material resulting from the washing, concentration, or treatment
of ore. |
tunnel
|
an
approximately horizontal underground passage open at both ends. |
vein
|
a
deposit of non-sedimentary origin, which may or may not contain
valuable minerals; lode. |
|
winze |
a
vertical or inclined shaft, driven downward from a drift into
an ore body to another level. (see raise) |
