The end of a drift, crosscut or stope in which work is taking place.

The ratio of the ultimate breaking strength of the material to the force exerted against it. If a rope will break under a load of 6000 lbs., and it is carrying a load of 2000 lbs., its factor of safety is 6000 divided by 2000 which equals 3

A mass of roof rock or coal which has fallen in any part of a mine.

Automation device designed to give alarm if the main fan slows down or stops.

A small, portable fan used to supplement the ventilation of an individual working place.

A large fan installed in the main air current, and thus in tandem with the main fan.

A break in the Earth's crust caused by tectonic forces which have moved the rock on one side with respect to the other.

A fault, instead of being a single clean fracture, may be a zone hundreds or thousands of feet wide. The fault zone consists of numerous interlacing small faults or a confused zone of gouge, breccia, or mylonite.

According to NI 43-101, a feasibility study is a "comprehensive study of a mineral deposit in which all geological, engineering, legal, operating, economic, social, environmental and other relevant factors are considered in sufficient detail that it could reasonably serve as the basis for a final decision by a financial institution to finance the development of the deposit for mineral production”

A group of common rock-forming minerals that includes microcline, orthoclase, plagioclase and others.

Term used to describe light-colored rocks containing feldspar, feldspathoids and silica.

Containing iron.

Any material that is put back in place of the extracted ore to provide ground support.

A vehicle for companies to raise money for exploration, development, or general working capital. See entries for "equity financing" and "debt financing" for two different kinds.

Fineness is the proportion of pure gold or silver in jewelry or bullion expressed in parts per thousand. Thus, 925 fine gold indicates 925 parts out of 1,000, or 92.5% is pure gold.

The combustible gas, methane, CH4. Also, the explosive methane-air mixtures with between 5% and 15% methane. A combustible gas formed in mines by decomposition of coal or other carbonaceous matter, and that consists chiefly of methane.

An extensive crack, break, or fracture in the rocks.

Possessions such as buildings, machinery and land which, as opposed to current assets, are unlikely to be converted into cash during the normal business cycle.

The metal strap or crossbar attached to the drag chain-and-flight conveyor.

Pieces of rock that have been broken off and moved from their original location by natural forces such as frost or glacial action.

That part of any underground working upon which a person walks or upon which haulage equipment travels; simply the bottom or underlying surface of an underground excavation.

Process for concentrating materials based on the selective adhesion of certain minerals to air bubbles in a mixture of water and ground-up ore. When the right chemicals are added to a frothy water bath of ore that has been ground to the consistency of talcum powder, the minerals will float to the surface. The metal-rich flotation concentrate is then skimmed off the surface

Shares in an exploration company that allow the tax deduction or credits for mineral exploration to be passed to the investor.

An illustration showing the sequence of operations, step by step, by which ore is treated in a milling, concentration or smelting process.

A chemical substance that reacts with gangue minerals to form slags, which are liquid at furnace temperature and low enough in density to float on the molten bath of metal or matte.

An instrument used in geophysics to measure total magnetic field.

The finely divided particles of ash suspended in gases resulting from the combustion of fuel. Electrostatic precipitators are used to remove fly ash from the gases prior to the release from a power plant's smokestack.

Any bending or wrinkling of rock strata.

The mass of rock beneath a geological structure such as an orebody or fault

Any assemblage of rocks which have some character in common, whether of origin, age, or composition. Often, the word is loosely used to indicate anything that has been formed or brought into its present shape.

The sale or purchase of a commodity for delivery at a specified future date.

A general term to include any kind of discontinuity in a body of rock if produced by mechanical failure, whether by shear stress or tensile stress. Fractures include faults, shears, joints, and planes of fracture cleavage.

Ores of gold or silver from which the precious metals can be recovered by concentrating methods without resorting to pressure leaching or other chemical treatment.

Easy to break, or crumbling naturally. Descriptive of certain rocks and minerals.

A cord-like substance used in the ignition of explosives. Black powder is entrained in the cord and, when lit, burns along the cord at a set rate. A fuse can be safely used to ignite a cap, which is the primer for an explosive.

A financial obligation for the buyer to purchase the underlying asset at a point in time in the future called the expiry date, and for the seller to deliver the underlying asset at its expiry date. At the expiry date, the goods can be delivered or settled in cash (in a process called "netting"). This differs from options because the buyer of an option has the "option" to buy, whereas the buyer of a future has the "obligation" to buy.