overburden
Strain with excess
To overburden is to load with too much—weight, work, or responsibility: The mule was overburdened with supplies; overburdened teachers struggling to meet demands.
The noun overburden refers to soil and rock that must be removed to reach mineral deposits beneath.
Both uses share the sense of excess that must be dealt with.
Defeat by excess
- overtaxBurden beyond capacity
- overloadBurden beyond capacity
- overworkToil to exhaustion
- exhaustUse up entirely
weigh down · swamp · inundate · pile on · snow under
Pressure, mental or vocal
- burnoutChronic occupational depletion
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
- fatigueWeariness from prolonged exertion
mental load · compassion fatigue · emotional exhaustion · breaking point · last straw · toll · weight · pressure
Removing outer layers
- removalAct of taking away
- excavationAct of unearthing
- draglineHeavy digging machine
- waste dumpSite for depositing refuse
open-pit · surface mining · rehandling · highwall · bench · reclamation
overwhelm
Defeat by excess
exhaust · weigh down · swamp · inundate · pile on · snow under
stress
Pressure, mental or vocal
- burnoutChronic occupational depletion
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- overwhelmDefeat by excess
fatigue · mental load · compassion fatigue · emotional exhaustion · breaking point · last straw · toll · weight · pressure · strain
stripping
Removing outer layers
- removalAct of taking away
- excavationAct of unearthing
- draglineHeavy digging machine
waste dump · open-pit · surface mining · rehandling · highwall · bench · reclamation
strata
Parallel geological layers
- topsoilNutrient-rich surface earth
- bedrockSolid stone underground
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
subsoil · regolith · unconsolidated · alluvium · cap rock
hamper
Obstruct or clothes basket
handicap · constrain · bog down · weigh down · saddle · cumber · load down · fetter · trammel · shackle
- overdoing itoverdo, overreach, overwork, overspend, overexert
- Coal Miningcoal mines, miners, coal seam, coal miners, underground mines
- gold mininggold pan, pan, panning, nuggets, gold nugget
- metal miningcopper mine, open-pit mine, underground mine, ore veins, mineral veins
- Mining Damagetailings, mine tailings, toxic runoff, coal ash, slag
- quarry termsblasting, granite quarry, drilling, marble quarry, limestone quarry