Terms

Extraction of minerals by dissolving them in situ with injected fluids (e.g., potash, salt, uranium, copper ISR).

Process where metals are transferred from an aqueous phase to an organic solvent. Common in copper, uranium and cobalt processing.

Ratio of material density to water density. Used in mineral identification, separation and resource estimation.

Study of reflected or emitted electromagnetic spectra to identify minerals, alteration zones and surface composition.

Overburden or waste rock excavated during mining operations. Must be stored safely in dumps or stockpiles.

Current market price of a commodity for immediate delivery. Key reference for mining project valuation.

Geotechnical assessment of slopes, underground openings or tailings dams to evaluate risk of failure.

Corrosion-resistant steel alloy containing chromium and often nickel or molybdenum. Major consumer of nickel and chromium.

An underground excavation where ore is extracted. Geometry and method depend on orebody shape, geotechnical constraints and mining method.

Waste material unavoidably mixed with ore during stope mining. A major factor reducing head grade.

Engineering process defining the size, shape and orientation of stopes based on geotechnics, mining method and economics.

Material used to backfill stopes after extraction, such as cemented paste fill, rockfill or hydraulic fill.