spoil heap
Excavation waste pile
A spoil heap is a mound of waste material excavated during mining or quarrying operations.
The earth, rock, and debris removed to access ore or coal gets piled nearby, creating artificial hills that often dominate mining landscapes.
The old spoil heaps have been reclaimed as parkland.
Also called a slag heap or waste tip.
Post-extraction mineral waste
- overburdenLoad beyond capacity
- slagIndustrial metalworking byproduct
- collieryCoal extraction site
- pitheadMine shaft entrance
mineshaft · excavation · extraction · ore · gangue · adit · mullock · culm
Heaped earth formation
- hillockMinor land elevation
- knollSmall rounded hill
- hummockLow earthen mound
- tumulusAncient burial mound
barrow · motte · drumlin · esker · moraine · bund · embankment · ridge
Liquid filtered through waste
- runoffExcess water drainage
- toxicityCapacity to cause harm
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
- heavy metalsDense metallic environmental contaminants
groundwater · remediation · erosion · sedimentation · dust · particulates · hazardous · environmental
tailings
Post-extraction mineral waste
- overburdenLoad beyond capacity
- slagIndustrial metalworking byproduct
- collieryCoal extraction site
pithead · mineshaft · excavation · extraction · ore · gangue · adit · mullock · culm · bund
mound
Heaped earth formation
tumulus · barrow · motte · drumlin · esker · moraine · bund · embankment · ridge · terrace
leachate
Liquid filtered through waste
heavy metals · groundwater · remediation · erosion · sedimentation · dust · particulates · hazardous · environmental · rehabilitation
- Moundsant mound, anthill, burial mound, cairn, dirt pile
- minemine shaft, adit, drift, crosscut, raise
- earthworksberm, dike, dyke, embankment, levee
- man-made terraincanal, dike, levee, embankment, landfill
- waste pilesgarbage pile, trash pile, rubbish pile, debris pile, scrap pile
- Surface Miningopen pit mining, strip mining, open pit, strip mine, quarry
spoil heapore
Metal-bearing rock
ore deposit · mother lode · pay dirt · mineral deposit · lode
spoil heapvirgin ground
Previously unworked earth
natural landscape · greenfield · reclaimed land · wilderness · virgin forest
spoil, heap, spoiled, heaps, spoiling, heaped, unspoiled, spoiler, heaping