trench

geomorphology

Learn about this topic in these articles:

box cutting

  • coal mine
    In coal mining: Area strip mining

    …is flat, commences with a trench or “box cut” made through the overburden to expose a portion of the coal seam. This trench is extended to the limits of the property in the strike direction. After coal removal, a second cut is made parallel to the first one, and the…

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mineral exploration

  • development workings of an underground mine
    In mining: Exploration

    …the surface, or outcrops, shallow trenches may be excavated with a bulldozer or backhoe. Trenching provides accurate near-surface data and the possibility of collecting samples of large volume for testing. The technique is obviously limited to the cutting depth of the equipment involved. Sometimes special drifts are driven in order…

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