ADIT: a horizontal entry into a mine with one opening to the surface, commonly and erroneously called a tunnel. (A tunnel is open at both ends.)

ALLUVIUM: unconsolidated sedimentary deposit, e.g. stream bed of sand and gravel.

ANTICLINE: a convex fold in sedimentary beds of rock (opposite: syncline).

APEX: top of a vein or lode.

ASSAY: a test to determine the quantity of mineral in a given sample. May be by a miniature smelting process in the laboratory, called a fire assay; or by use of chemicals, called a chemical or wet assay.

BACK: the roof of a horizontal opening such as an adit, drift or crosscut.

BONANZA: a rich body of ore.

BEDROCK: uppermost layer or segment (portion) of rock in place.

BREAST: the end, heading or working face of an adit, drift or crosscut.

CHIMNEY: a vertical ore body, tubelike in shape.

CHUTE: (ore) chute for transferring broken rock in a mine; usually from a stope to a haulage passage.

COBBING: hand sorting of ore.

COLLAR: top of a shaft or winze; the timbers or concrete at the upper end.

COLOR: a particle of free gold.

CONCENTRATOR: a device for separating and concentrating mineral from rock by mechanical means.

CONTACT: the meeting of two geologic formations.

CONTACT VEIN: a vein along the contact.

COUNTRY ROCK: rock surrounding a vein or lode, extending throughout the area.

CRIBBING: a wall of light timbering between heavy supports at either vertical or horizontal mine working.

CROSSCUT: a horizontal opening such as an adit driven across the vein or ore body.

CUT: an open working driven into a hillside to expose underlying rock.

DIKE: a vertical or near vertical fissure filled with volcanic rock.

DIP: the vertical angle a vein or sedimentary bed makes with a horizontal plane.

DRIFT: a horizontal opening (such as an adit) driven along the vein.

FACE: the last working end of an adit, drift, crosscut or cut (same as breast).

FAULT: A dislocation along a crack in the earth’s surface (may be horizontal, vertical or a combination of both); a failure along a line of stress; usually associated with earthquakes, but movement may be slow.

FISSURE: a crack in the earth’s surface; if filled with vein material becomes a fissure vein.

FLOAT: a piece of ore detached from a vein or lode, lying loose, not in place.

FLOOR: the lower surface of a mine working, i.e. the floor of a drift.

FLUME: a device for conveying water.

FOOT WALL: the lower side of an inclined vein in country rock.

GANGUE: the matrix of the ore composed of worthless material.

GLORY HOLE: a large funnel-shaped excavation extending to the surface, the material being drawn from the bottom through a tunnel.

GRIZZLY: a grating, usually made up of mine rails, over an ore bin for the purpose of diverting large rocks or boulders.

GRUB STAKE: financing a prospector to share in his findings.

HANGING WALL: the upper wall of an inclined or dipping vein.

HEADING: same as breast or face of a working.

HORSE: a mass of country rock found in an ore deposit.

INCLINE: a sloping shaft, drift, crosscut or tunnel.

LEAD: same as lode, (pronounced “leed”)

LEDGE: same as lode.

LEVEL: one of a series of drifts or crosscuts, one above the other, in a mine.

LODE: a mineral deposit in place, including veins.

LODE LINE: presumed course of the vein or lode at the surface.

MATRIX: the worthless material in an ore deposit surrounding the valuable minerals.

METALLURGY: the art of separating minerals from the gangue in ores; also combining metals to form alloys.

MINE: an excavation for the purpose of extracting mineral.

MINERAL: an inorganic substance contained in the earth.

MUCK: broken rock in a mine.

OPEN CUT: a drift or crosscut that does not enter cover.

OPEN PIT: a large excavation beginning at the surface.

ORE: a mineral deposit that can be mined at a profit; includes the mineral itself and the gangue.

OUTCROP: that portion of a mineral deposit appearing at the surface.

PLACER: a mineral deposit of unconsolidated particles.

QUARRY: similar to an open pit, usually applied to building stone.

RAISE: a vertical or inclined shaft driven upward from an underground working.

REEF: Australian word for lode.

ROOF: the ceiling of a working, as the back of a drift.

ROYALTY: a percentage of the earnings or product paid an owner.

SHAFT: a vertical or inclined opening sunk from the surface to gain access or to explore an orebody.

SHIFT: a period of working time.

SKIP: an ore bucket used to hoist ore and muck in a shaft.

SLUICE: a trough with riffles for separating placer gold.

SMELTING: the reduction of metals from the ore in a furnace.

STOPE: usually a room where the ore is mined.

STRIKE: the horizontal direction of a vein.

STULL: a timber in a mine, usually a post.

SUMP: a low place in a mine for collecting water, such as the bottom of a shaft.

TAILINGS: the waste rock from a mine or mill.

TUNNEL: technically, a horizontal passageway open at both ends, but in mining used to designate any horizontal passageway driven for the development or discovery of an orebody.

VEIN: a fissure or crack in surrounding rock filled with mineral.

WINZE: a vertical or incline opening sunk from an underground mine working; an underground shaft.