stope
Ore extraction chamber
A stope is an underground excavation from which ore has been extracted, created as miners work a vein or deposit.
The term belongs to mining—stopes are the voids left behind after valuable material is removed, often in a stepwise fashion following the ore body.
As a verb, to stope is to excavate ore in this manner: They stoped out the entire vein over three years.
Explosive material removal
- drillingHole-making by rotation
- muckFilthy wet dirt
- breakageAct of shattering
- muckingCleaning out accumulated waste
backfill · shrinkage · sublevel · benching · overhand · underhand · retreat · pillar
Vessel toward heart
- lodeMineral-rich rock seam
- depositPlace for safekeeping
- reefUnderwater rock or coral formation
- seamJoined fabric edge
mineralization · grade · assay · gold · silver · copper · zinc · lead
blasting
Explosive material removal
mucking · backfill · shrinkage · sublevel · benching · overhand · underhand · retreat · pillar · recovery
vein
Vessel toward heart
seam · mineralization · grade · assay · gold · silver · copper · zinc · lead · sulfide
underground
Below ground or countercultural
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
- shaftNarrow vertical passage
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
headframe · hoist · cage · skip · mine · miner · jackleg · jumbo · development · production
drift
Gradual movement, no direction
level · decline · sill · pillar · rib · back · crown · floor · bulkhead · ventilation