Mining Terms
Adit: A horizontal tunnel driven into the hill side for access or drainage.
Backfill: Waste rock packed into a disused passage or stope – also known as deads.
Barracks: Buildings built near a number of remote mines for housing miners during the working week.
Blackjack: A blende of zinc and sulphur – zinc ore.
Buddle: A machine for separating finely crushed ore from gangue.
Captain: An overseer or mine manager.
Crusher: Machinery used for crushing ore.
Dressing: Processing of separating ore from waste material.
Drift: A level driven from one part of the mine to the other which could also follow a mineral vein.
Engine Shaft: A shaft fitted with pumping equipment.
Fathom: Old unit of measurement used by the miners. 1 fathom = 6 feet – originally a man's arm span from fingertip to fingertip.
Firesetting: Ancient method of breaking up rock by heating with fire and then quenching it with water.
Gangue:Undesirable material e.g. rock and quartz enclosing the valuable mineral.
Hammer Stones:Large pebbles used to crush ore in the bronze age.
Hushing: Dam installed blocking a stream or reservoir at the top of the hill and when enough water was captured it would be released to scour the topsoil and scrub from the hillside.
Kibble: Bucket made from wood or metal used to raise ore from the mine.
Launder: A wooden trough for conveying water.
Leat: Man made surface channel for conveying water, sometimes over long distances.
Level: Tunnel driven horizontally for access or drainage.
Miners Trail: Route used by the Miners to go to and from work.
Ochre: Yellow ore used to give the colour in paint
Opencut: Quarry-like excavations created by the removing of ore that lies close to the surface.
Ore: The mineral as it comes from the mine.
Powder House: Store for keeping explosives – also known as a magazine.
Potter's Ore: Poor quality galena containing very little ore.
Rise: An underground shaft driven upwards.
Shaft: Vertical entrance leading into the mine.
Smelting: To extract a metal from ore by heating.
Spoil: Area of waste rock dumped as a result of mining activity - also known as dumps/tips.
Stope: Underground cavity created by the removal of ore.
Vein: Fissures in rock that have been filled with mineral deposits.
Washing Place: Place to wash the ore.
Whim: A windlass worked by horses, steam or water power used for raising ore.
Winch: Portable device for raising loads, either hand, steam or air powered.
Winze: Underground shaft driven downwards.
Below is an illustration outlining some of the mining terms listed above.
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