borehole
Deep ground shaft
A borehole is a narrow shaft drilled into the ground, typically to extract water, oil, or gas, or to study geological formations.
Unlike wells, which are often wider and may be dug by hand, boreholes are machine-drilled and relatively small in diameter: The drilling crew sank a borehole to test for groundwater.
Dug water source
- aquiferGroundwater-bearing geological formation
- groundwaterWater in underground rock
- pumpFluid-moving machine
- submersibleUnderwater exploration vehicle
potable · irrigation · hydrology · filtration · recharge · drawdown · casing · screen
Small amount or portion
- rigEquipment arrangement or vehicle
- rotationTurning on an axis
- torqueRotational force measurement
- cutterOne who severs
collar · derrick · mud · casing · reaming · penetration · core · sample
Narrow vertical passage
- verticalAt right angles groundward
- descendMove to lower position
- penetrateEnter or pass through
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
fathom · gauge · measure · bottomless · pit · excavate · perforate · casing
Metal-bearing rock
- veinVessel toward heart
- depositPlace for safekeeping
- extractionAct of removing
- assayCompositional evaluation procedure
mineral · seam · underground · opencast · shaft · adit · resource · reserve
Parallel geological layers
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- coreCentral essential portion
- formationCreation or arrangement
- rockSolid earthen material
fault · crust · igneous · metamorphic · sedimentary · overburden · bedrock · unconsolidated
Systematic data collection
- prospectingSearching for mineral wealth
- seismicRelating to ground tremors
- geophysicsPhysics of planetary structure
- samplingExtracting subset for study
mapping · fieldwork · hydrocarbon · oil · gas · mineral · wildcat · appraisal
well
Dug water source
- aquiferGroundwater-bearing geological formation
- groundwaterWater in underground rock
- pumpFluid-moving machine
submersible · potable · irrigation · hydrology · filtration · recharge · drawdown · casing · screen · yield
bit
Small amount or portion
cutter · collar · derrick · mud · casing · reaming · penetration · core · sample · pulldown
shaft
Narrow vertical passage
subterranean · fathom · gauge · measure · bottomless · pit · excavate · perforate · casing · liner
ore
Metal-bearing rock
- veinVessel toward heart
- depositPlace for safekeeping
- extractionAct of removing
assay · mineral · seam · underground · opencast · shaft · adit · resource · reserve · grade
strata
Parallel geological layers
rock · fault · crust · igneous · metamorphic · sedimentary · overburden · bedrock · unconsolidated · stratigraphy
survey
Systematic data collection
- prospectingSearching for mineral wealth
- seismicRelating to ground tremors
- geophysicsPhysics of planetary structure
sampling · mapping · fieldwork · hydrocarbon · oil · gas · mineral · wildcat · appraisal · delineation
- water sourcesriver, lake, rain, well, pond
- rural Africavillage, herding, pastoralism, subsistence farming, smallholder
- water infrastructurewater main, aqueducts, dams, water tanks, water tower
- geophysicsearthquake, earthquakes, seismology, seismic waves, seismograph
- Backveldveld, kopje, kraal, dorp, drift
- blastingblast, blasting, detonation, explosives, dynamite
boreholetunnel
Enclosed underground route
open-pit mine · quarry · strip mine · trench · cavern
boreholenatural spring
Water emerging from ground
sinkhole · cave · cavern · aquifer · underground river