flat-lying deposit

ore deposit

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mining

  • development workings of an underground mine
    In mining: Mining flat-lying deposits

    Many of the ore deposits mined today had their origins in an ocean, lake, or swamp environment, and, although they may have been pressed, compacted, and perhaps somewhat distorted over time, they still retain the basic horizontal orientation in which the minerals were…

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nugget, in mining, water-worn, solid lump of metal; the word is most commonly used in reference to gold, but copper, silver, platinum, and other metals in this form are also designated as nuggets. Fragments and pieces of vein metal whose history does not include fluvial (water) transport are not called nuggets. Gold nuggets commonly range from the size of a pea to that of a nut; exceptionally large ones include the 64.75-kilogram (2,284-ounce) “Welcome Stranger” from Ballarat, Australia, and the 49.41-kilogram (1,743-ounce) “Blanche Barkley” from Kingower, Australia.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.