1. Mineral and Mining vocabulary
Chapter 13

2. Polymorph
Consist of the same elements or compounds but have different crystal structures due to the conditions they are formed
Diamond
Graphite

3. Ore
Mineral or group of minerals that is mined so that a metal or metals can be removed
Iron Ore

4. Strip Mining
Layers of surface soil and rock are removed from large areas to expose the resource

5. This picture shows just how little headroom miners had underground.
Subsurface Mining
Vertical shafts are dug deep into the ground and networks of horizontal tunnels are dug or blasted out to follow deposits of the resource
This picture shows just how little headroom miners had underground.

6. Open Pit Mining
Involves digging a large hole and removing the ore and the unwanted rock that surrounds the ore

7. Mountaintop Removal
A type of mining in which plats and soil are removed from the top of a mountain and then explosives are used to reach seams of coal

8. Placer Mining
Involves sifting through sand and gravel in a riverbed to extract metals, minerals or precious stones

9. Solution Mining
Method of mining that involves pumping chemical solution into a mine to leach the desired resource from the ore

10. Alberta Tar Sands Tailing Pond
Tailings
Waste product from the metal processing
Alberta Tar Sands Tailing Pond

11. Smelting
Heating ore beyond its melting point and combining it with other metals or chemicals