From the drill core to the control room.
Find the meaning, understand the context, and make sense of the language of mining.
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U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal regulations title covering mineral resources, including MSHA and OSMRE regulations.
In practice: The procedure cites the applicable part of 30 CFR.
A title reference alone does not identify the controlling provision.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal regulations title covering public lands, including specified BLM mining and mineral rules.
In practice: The land review identifies the relevant 43 CFR part.
Read the current provision and its applicability.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A group of geochemical tests comparing potential acidity with neutralizing capacity.
In practice: The waste-characterization program includes ABA testing.
Static test results need geological and kinetic-test context.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A sequence used to capture dissolved metal, remove it from the adsorbent, and recover the metal.
In practice: The plant drawing identifies the ADR facility.
The detailed recovery steps depend on the flowsheet.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A heavy-duty conveyor serving a longwall face and transporting cut material toward the gate road.
In practice: The maintenance log records an AFC inspection.
Also written armoured face conveyor.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for silver.
In practice: The polymetallic assay table reports Ag alongside Au.
AG in uppercase can mean autogenous grinding.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Grinding that primarily uses pieces of the ore itself as the grinding medium.
In practice: The flowsheet evaluates an AG circuit for suitable ore.
Capitalization matters: Ag is the chemical symbol for silver.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — An integrated system for operating haul trucks with automated driving and fleet supervision.
In practice: The mine evaluates AHS within a defined operating area.
Autonomy does not remove traffic-management and safety obligations.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A non-GAAP gold-industry cost measure extending AISC to include specified non-sustaining costs.
In practice: The report reconciles AIC and AISC.
Read the producer's guidance, scope, and reconciliation.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A non-GAAP gold-industry cost measure including operating and specified sustaining costs under the chosen guidance.
In practice: The producer reports AISC per ounce sold with a reconciliation.
AISC is not total project cost; compare definitions and exclusions.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A passive treatment feature using limestone under low-oxygen conditions to add alkalinity.
In practice: The water study evaluates an ALD for a suitable drainage stream.
Influent chemistry can limit performance.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Acidic drainage associated with mining, often produced by sulfide-mineral oxidation and subsequent reactions.
In practice: The water study evaluates potential AMD from exposed material.
Not all mine drainage is acidic.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Water affected by historic mining, which may be acidic, neutral, or alkaline.
In practice: The watershed project addresses AMD from abandoned workings.
This EPA usage is broader than acid mine drainage.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — Land affected by past mining and addressed through reclamation or related programs.
In practice: The watershed group identifies an AML site for investigation.
Eligibility for a program depends on its rules.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An installed system that monitors selected atmospheric conditions and provides indications or alarms.
In practice: The control room reviews AMS information from underground sensors.
Approved system design and procedures determine the response.
Drilling & blasting · Acronym · Industry-wide — A commercial blasting-agent class combining ammonium nitrate with fuel oil.
In practice: The blast documentation identifies the product class as ANFO.
Only qualified personnel should select, handle, and use blasting products.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A SMCRA reclamation concept involving restoration of the general pre-mining surface configuration under the applicable definition.
In practice: The reclamation design documents its AOC approach.
Approved exceptions and detailed requirements must be checked.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An estimate of the acid-generating capacity of a material under a specified calculation or test.
In practice: The ABA table reports AP alongside neutralization potential.
The calculation basis and sulfur species matter.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The expected level of workplace respiratory protection provided by a respirator class when used within an effective program.
In practice: The respiratory specialist checks the applicable APF.
APF is not a guarantee of protection in every condition.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Acidic drainage generated through reactions involving rock, commonly sulfide oxidation, in mined or unmined settings.
In practice: The waste-rock study evaluates ARD potential.
ARD can occur outside mining operations.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — An accounting liability for specified future asset-retirement duties under applicable accounting rules.
In practice: The financial statements describe the mine's ARO.
An accounting estimate differs from a regulatory financial-assurance amount.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for gold, commonly used in assays, grades, and resource tables.
In practice: The assay table identifies Au in g/t.
Contained metal does not establish recoverable metal.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — OSMRE's database supporting permit eligibility and oversight using applicant, operator, and violation information.
In practice: The coal-permit review includes an AVS check.
Its role follows SMCRA and applicable program rules.
Mine operations & equipment · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A cubic meter of material in its undisturbed in-place condition.
In practice: The earthworks estimate reports overburden in BCM.
Bank volume differs from loose volume after excavation.
Mine operations & equipment · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A cubic yard of material measured in its undisturbed in-place state.
In practice: The contractor prices excavation quantities in BCY.
Check whether the contract uses bank or loose volumes.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A vehicle powered by electric motors using energy stored in rechargeable batteries.
In practice: The underground study evaluates BEV haulage equipment.
Ventilation, charging, and emergency planning still need assessment.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Biological oxidation of sulfide minerals before downstream recovery; BIOX also identifies a proprietary process.
In practice: The study evaluates biological oxidation before gold leaching.
When used as a brand, BIOX refers to its process owner.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The Interior Department bureau administering public lands and certain federal mineral resources.
In practice: The claimant reviews BLM mining-claim records.
Land status, mineral ownership, and surface access are separate questions.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A practice or control used to prevent or reduce pollution or manage a specified environmental impact.
In practice: The stormwater plan identifies sediment-control BMPs.
The required practice depends on permit and site conditions.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — Equipment transferring material from a longwall face conveyor toward the belt haulage system.
In practice: The shift report records a BSL stoppage.
Equipment arrangements vary by mine.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — An energy unit often used in U.S. coal heating-value reporting.
In practice: The fuel specification gives heating value in Btu/lb.
The heating-value and moisture bases must be stated.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A laboratory-derived index used to characterize resistance to ball-mill grinding under the Bond method.
In practice: The study compares BWi results across ore domains.
Test conditions and circuit assumptions affect application.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law governing major air-quality protection programs.
In practice: The processing plant reviews applicable CAA requirements.
Permitting authorities and requirements vary by activity and location.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — Spending on assets or projects expected to provide benefits over multiple periods.
In practice: The study separates initial and sustaining CAPEX.
Classifications differ between technical studies and accounting policies.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A series of thickening and washing stages with liquid and solids moving in opposite directions.
In practice: The flowsheet uses CCD to wash dissolved values from residue.
It is a separation and washing arrangement.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal cleanup law commonly known as Superfund.
In practice: The historic-mine investigation identifies the CERCLA response process.
Liability and cleanup duties depend on the facts and law.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A volumetric-flow rate commonly used for ventilation or compressed air.
In practice: The ventilation report states airflow in CFM.
Actual and standardized flow conditions can differ.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The codification of general and permanent federal agency rules.
In practice: The permit file records a CFR citation.
Check the title, part, section, and current text.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical formula for methane, a combustible gas important in mine ventilation and monitoring.
In practice: The mine atmosphere report lists CH4 concentration.
A percentage by volume is different from percent LEL.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A facility that receives coal and prepares it through operations such as crushing, sizing, and cleaning.
In practice: The CHPP report separates feed tonnage from clean-coal output.
Plant processes vary with the coal and product specification.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Recovery of dissolved values by passing solution through columns containing activated carbon.
In practice: The heap-leach solution passes through a CIC circuit.
Different from carbon adsorption directly from slurry.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A gold-recovery process where activated carbon adsorption occurs in the leaching circuit.
In practice: The gold plant describes a CIL circuit.
CIL and CIP place carbon adsorption at different stages.
Resources, studies & economics · Reporting framework · International context — The Canadian professional organization associated with mineral resource and reserve definition standards.
In practice: The NI 43-101 report references CIM definitions.
International context is included because these reports cover U.S. projects too.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A gold-recovery process with carbon adsorption after a separate leaching stage.
In practice: The flowsheet sends leached slurry to CIP tanks.
CIP can mean clean-in-place outside this mining context.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A machine that mechanically cuts and gathers material, commonly in underground coal or industrial-mineral mining.
In practice: The production report records the CM section's advance.
CM can mean condition monitoring in maintenance.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Observation and measurement of equipment condition to support maintenance decisions.
In practice: The reliability team reviews oil-analysis results as part of CM.
CM also means continuous miner in production reports.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Software used to manage asset records, work orders, maintenance schedules, and related information.
In practice: The planner schedules a conveyor inspection in the CMMS.
Good records depend on consistent asset and job coding.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A classification method developed to describe the strength and structural character of coal-mine roof.
In practice: The roof study uses CMRR to characterize changing strata.
It does not replace an approved roof-control plan.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — A chemical notation encountered in analytical and processing references involving cyanide species.
In practice: The water report distinguishes free, WAD, and total cyanide.
Species, analytical method, and reporting units matter.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for cobalt.
In practice: The assay table reports Co as a potentially recoverable byproduct.
CO in uppercase means carbon monoxide.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — A toxic, colorless gas relevant to mine atmospheres, fires, and combustion sources.
In practice: The atmospheric monitoring system includes CO sensors.
Co with a lowercase o is cobalt.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The documented sequence of sample possession, transfer, and handling.
In practice: The shipment includes a COC linking sample IDs to laboratory receipt.
COC can also mean a contaminant of concern in environmental work.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A substance selected for evaluation or management because of its relevance to site risk or cleanup.
In practice: The investigation identifies arsenic as a COC.
COC also means chain of custody in sample handling.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A grade threshold used to distinguish material for a defined mining, processing, or reporting purpose.
In practice: The resource table states its COG and assumptions.
Cutoff grade depends on costs, prices, recovery, and the chosen reporting basis.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A wearable instrument that measures respirable dust concentration during a work shift.
In practice: The training covers interpretation of CPDM readings.
Dust measurement does not automatically quantify its silica fraction.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A plant that processes raw coal to meet product quality or handling requirements.
In practice: The CPP measures recovery and product moisture.
CPP has other meanings outside coal processing.
Resources, studies & economics · Reporting framework · International context — The international committee promoting compatible mineral reporting standards through a common template.
In practice: The report discusses alignment with CRIRSCO-style definitions.
National codes retain their own requirements.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A material with certified property values and uncertainties used to evaluate analytical performance.
In practice: The laboratory inserts an appropriate CRM into the assay batch.
Reference materials should suit the sample matrix and concentration range.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for copper.
In practice: The concentrate specification gives Cu content in percent.
Copper grade alone does not determine concentrate value.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law establishing major water-quality and pollutant-discharge programs.
In practice: The permit matrix identifies CWA authorizations.
Different sections address different activities and waters.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A lung disease associated with breathing coal mine dust, commonly called black lung.
In practice: The health program discusses CWP prevention and surveillance.
Clinical assessment belongs with qualified health professionals.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An injury-and-illness category or associated rate covering cases with days away, restricted work, or job transfer.
In practice: The safety dashboard labels its DART rate basis.
Recordkeeping systems and coverage differ; do not assume direct MSHA equivalence.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A logarithmic unit expressing a ratio, used in noise, vibration instrumentation, and communications.
In practice: The blast report states its sound measurement in dB with a defined reference.
Weighting and reference quantity are essential for interpretation.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A sound-level notation using A-frequency weighting.
In practice: The noise survey records dBA at a work position.
Exposure assessment also depends on time and the applicable method.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — An analysis translating future cash flows into present values using specified discounting assumptions.
In practice: The feasibility study includes a DCF model.
Timing, taxes, closure costs, and assumptions affect the result.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — An industrial control architecture with control functions distributed across multiple controllers.
In practice: The process plant uses a DCS for coordinated control.
Implementations overlap with other control architectures.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A borehole drilled with a diamond bit to recover cylindrical rock core for geological logging and testing.
In practice: The geologist logs mineralized intervals from DDH-12.
A drill intercept is not necessarily the true width of the deposit.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A digital representation of terrain elevations used for mapping and spatial analysis.
In practice: The planner checks haul-road grades against a DEM.
Resolution and vertical accuracy affect its use.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A family of technologies selectively recovering lithium from brines using processes such as adsorption or ion exchange.
In practice: The brine project tests a DLE technology.
The label covers different technologies and performance profiles.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A cyclone using a dense medium to separate particles based largely on density.
In practice: The coal plant monitors DMC feed conditions.
A DMC is not the same as a size-classifying hydrocyclone.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — Separation using a dense fluid or suspension so particles float or sink according to relative density.
In practice: The pilot program tests DMS before fine grinding.
Separation performance depends on liberation and operating conditions.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Oxygen dissolved in water, measured as concentration or percent saturation.
In practice: The field crew records DO in receiving waters.
Temperature and other conditions affect saturation.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The organic carbon measured in the operationally defined dissolved fraction of a sample.
In practice: The groundwater program reports DOC on filtered samples.
The filter and analytical method define the dissolved fraction.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal department that includes BLM, USGS, and OSMRE.
In practice: The document identifies the relevant DOI bureau.
Its bureaus have different responsibilities.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal department that includes MSHA, OSHA, and other worker-related agencies.
In practice: The reference identifies DOL as MSHA's parent department.
State labor departments may also use DOL.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Particles emitted from diesel-engine exhaust.
In practice: The underground ventilation assessment considers DPM sources.
DPM and gaseous diesel exhaust components need distinct consideration.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A digital elevation surface that can include vegetation, structures, and other above-ground objects.
In practice: The drone deliverable includes both DSM and bare-earth terrain.
A DSM is not automatically a bare-earth model.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A drilling arrangement with the percussion hammer positioned behind the bit inside the hole.
In practice: The drilling specification calls for a DTH hammer.
Equipment choice depends on rock and drilling conditions.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A representation of bare-earth terrain, often including features that describe the surface.
In practice: The surveyor updates the pit DTM after a survey.
DEM and DTM usage varies between organizations.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — OSMRE's system holding information on inventoried abandoned-mine impacts and reclamation status.
In practice: The analyst reviews e-AMLIS inventory information.
The inventory is not a complete list of every historic mine.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A NEPA document used to evaluate environmental effects and determine whether an environmental impact statement is needed.
In practice: The agency prepares an EA for a proposed action.
The applicable review process depends on the action and agency.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A plan specifying actions and responsibilities for defined emergency situations.
In practice: The tailings facility's EAP identifies notification procedures.
Its required scope depends on the facility and authority.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A carbon fraction measured by specified analytical methods, sometimes used in diesel particulate assessment.
In practice: The exposure report identifies the EC analytical result.
EC also means electrical conductivity in water-quality reports.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A measure of how readily a material or solution conducts electrical current.
In practice: The water monitor records EC with temperature.
Water EC is not the elemental-carbon exposure measure.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — An X-ray analysis technique often paired with electron microscopy to identify elements.
In practice: The mineralogist uses SEM-EDS to investigate particle composition.
Detection and quantification limits depend on the setup.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A detailed environmental review document for covered federal actions with significant effects under NEPA.
In practice: The mine-project file includes an EIS and alternatives analysis.
An EIS analyzes effects; it does not itself grant every authorization.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A family of geophysical methods using electromagnetic fields to investigate subsurface electrical properties.
In practice: The survey maps EM responses for follow-up work.
Conductive responses can have several geological causes.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — The final depth or termination point of a drilled borehole.
In practice: The drill log marks EOH below the mineralized interval.
Read depth units and the collar reference.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An engineer responsible for specified technical aspects of a facility under the applicable engagement and governance framework.
In practice: The tailings review identifies the EOR and responsibilities.
The acronym has different meanings outside this context.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal agency administering environmental programs under its legal authorities.
In practice: The permit team checks EPA and state program information.
Some programs are implemented by authorized state or tribal agencies.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A documented plan setting out emergency actions, responsibilities, and resources.
In practice: The mine's ERP identifies communications and response arrangements.
ERP also means enterprise resource planning.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Integrated business software for functions such as finance, procurement, inventory, and workforce administration.
In practice: The company connects purchasing and inventory through its ERP.
ERP also means emergency response plan.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Recovery of dissolved metal onto an electrode by passing electrical current through an electrolyte.
In practice: The plant produces copper cathodes by EW.
Electrowinning differs from electrorefining of impure metal.
Mineral processing & recovery · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — The particle size below which 80% of the feed passes on the stated distribution basis.
In practice: The comminution study reports feed F80.
Read feed and product sizes in matching units.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A high-temperature laboratory separation method commonly used in precious-metal analysis.
In practice: The certificate lists FA with an instrumental finish for gold.
The sample charge and finish are important parts of the method.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for iron.
In practice: The product specification states total Fe content.
Elemental iron content and iron-oxide content are different bases.
Workforce & shift management · Acronym · Industry-wide — A workforce arrangement in which employees travel by air to a remote site for a work rotation.
In practice: The project evaluates a FIFO staffing model.
FIFO can mean first-in, first-out in inventory accounting.
Workforce & shift management · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law establishing minimum wage, overtime, recordkeeping, and youth-employment provisions for covered work.
In practice: The payroll team checks FLSA and relevant state requirements.
Coverage and exemptions require a fact-specific assessment.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A systematic review of potential failure modes and their effects.
In practice: The team uses FMEA to examine a conveyor drive.
Ratings and decision criteria must be defined for the study.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — Software and equipment used to coordinate vehicles, dispatch, and operational information.
In practice: Dispatch reviews truck cycles through the FMS.
The acronym is used outside mining as well.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — An agency finding, generally supported by an EA, that an action will not have significant environmental effects under NEPA.
In practice: The agency publishes a FONSI after its assessment.
Read the decision's conditions and supporting analysis.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A protective structure designed to resist specified falling-object impacts on an operator area.
In practice: The equipment specification lists FOPS performance requirements.
ROPS and FOPS address different hazards.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A ratio comparing available resistance with the demand on a structure or slope under specified assumptions.
In practice: The slope review reports FOS for a stated loading case.
Required criteria depend on the design and consequences.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A detailed technical and economic study of a mineral project under the applicable reporting framework.
In practice: The project reports an FS for its selected development option.
FS can also mean factor of safety or a cleanup feasibility study.
Workforce & shift management · Acronym · Industry-wide — A staffing measure that expresses work hours relative to a defined full-time hours basis.
In practice: The staffing model states the annual hours used for one FTE.
FTE is not necessarily the number of people employed.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass concentration of grams per metric tonne, frequently used for precious-metal grades.
In practice: The gold assay table reports grade in g/t.
Numerically equals ppm on a mass-per-mass basis.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — Costs for organizational administration under the stated accounting or reporting basis.
In practice: The estimate lists corporate G&A separately from mine-site costs.
Corporate and site allocations may differ.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A manufactured hydraulic-barrier product incorporating clay, commonly bentonite, with geosynthetics.
In practice: The containment design includes a GCL.
Performance depends on design, installation, and chemical compatibility.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — Replaceable wear components that contact material during digging or handling, such as bucket teeth and cutting edges.
In practice: The loader inspection records GET wear.
Use the equipment maker's replacement criteria.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An international framework for classifying chemical hazards and communicating them through labels and safety data sheets.
In practice: The label uses GHS pictograms for product hazards.
Implementation differs between jurisdictions.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — Software and data tools for storing, analyzing, and displaying information tied to locations.
In practice: The GIS combines geology, claims, and environmental layers.
A displayed boundary is not a legal title determination.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An international standard addressing tailings governance, design, operation, monitoring, emergency response, and disclosure.
In practice: The operator reports its approach to GISTM implementation.
An industry standard is distinct from applicable permits and law.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — The general term for satellite navigation systems, including GPS and other constellations.
In practice: The survey specification identifies the GNSS equipment used.
GNSS is broader than GPS.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A liquid-flow rate that requires the gallon definition to be stated.
In practice: The U.S. pump curve identifies flow in U.S. GPM.
U.S. and imperial gallons are different volumes.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — The U.S. satellite navigation system used to estimate location and time.
In practice: A field crew records sample positions using GPS.
Receiver type and corrections affect accuracy.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A system characterizing rock-mass structure and discontinuity surface conditions for estimating engineering properties.
In practice: The slope study documents the GSI basis.
Use with the appropriate engineering model and professional interpretation.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — A toxic, flammable gas that can occur in some geological and process environments.
In practice: The hazard assessment considers possible H2S exposure.
Odor is not a dependable warning method.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A kinetic laboratory test used to study weathering and drainage chemistry from rock or mine waste.
In practice: The program tracks HCT drainage chemistry over time.
Laboratory behavior requires careful scaling to field conditions.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A polymer used in products such as pipes and geomembrane liners.
In practice: The design specification identifies an HDPE liner.
Material designation alone does not establish suitability.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A treatment approach that recirculates sludge to promote denser solids during precipitation treatment.
In practice: The water plant uses an HDS process.
The name describes treatment behavior, not a waste classification.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A filtration designation for filters meeting specified particle-removal performance criteria.
In practice: The cab filtration specification calls for HEPA filtration.
A particulate filter does not remove every gas or vapor.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A fuel's heat release including the heat recovered when product water condenses under the stated method.
In practice: The coal specification states HHV.
Higher and lower heating values use different water-phase assumptions.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A separation method using a high-intensity magnetic field for selected weakly magnetic minerals.
In practice: The flowsheet compares HIMS with other concentration methods.
Wet and dry configurations have different applications.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — The interface through which an operator views and interacts with equipment or a control system.
In practice: The operator acknowledges a process alarm through the HMI.
An interface display depends on the underlying sensors and logic.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A density-separation process using a medium to separate particles by relative density.
In practice: The flowsheet includes HMS for a selected size fraction.
Often used interchangeably with dense-medium separation.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — An acid-leaching process at elevated pressure and temperature, notably used for some lateritic nickel-cobalt ores.
In practice: The project studies HPAL for its laterite feed.
The term does not define a universally suitable treatment route.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A comminution machine that compresses a bed of particles between counter-rotating rolls.
In practice: The study evaluates HPGR ahead of ball milling.
Equipment performance depends on the material and circuit.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Systems used to manage indoor or enclosure temperature and air conditions.
In practice: The haul-truck cab inspection includes HVAC and filtration checks.
Cab HVAC is distinct from whole-mine ventilation.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — An SEC mining-disclosure study supporting disclosure of mineral resources through an initial technical and economic evaluation.
In practice: The issuer prepares an IA for its mineral resource disclosure.
An IA cannot support a mineral reserve determination by itself.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · International context — The organization administering the International Cyanide Management Code.
In practice: The operator checks ICMI program and certification information.
Certification scope is distinct from regulatory compliance.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — An analytical technique that ionizes a sample in a plasma and measures ions by mass-to-charge ratio.
In practice: The lab uses ICP-MS for selected trace-element analyses.
Digestion, interferences, and method limits matter.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — An elemental analysis technique measuring light emitted by excited atoms and ions in a plasma.
In practice: The assay method lists ICP-OES for a multielement package.
Method preparation affects what portion of the sample is measured.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A condition posing an immediate threat to life, irreversible health effects, or escape ability.
In practice: The emergency assessment identifies possible IDLH conditions.
Do not use this glossary to select emergency protection.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A broad deposit family characterized by abundant iron oxides and potentially copper and gold mineralization.
In practice: The regional study discusses IOCG exploration targets.
The label does not specify a standard metal content.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A geophysical method measuring the electrical chargeability response of subsurface materials.
In practice: The exploration team compares IP anomalies with mapped geology.
An anomaly does not prove an economic mineral deposit.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A material-handling system combining crushing within or near a pit with conveyors.
In practice: The haulage study compares trucks with IPCC.
The same letters identify a climate-science panel in other contexts.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A discount rate at which a project's modeled net present value equals zero.
In practice: The economic study states the IRR basis.
Some cash-flow patterns can produce multiple or no meaningful IRRs.
Drilling & blasting · Acronym · Industry-wide — A professional organization providing explosives engineering resources, including blasting and vibration guidance.
In practice: The monitoring specification references ISEE guidance.
A professional standard is distinct from a legal limit.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Leaching valuable constituents within the deposit, also called in situ recovery in many uranium contexts.
In practice: The older report uses ISL for the recovery method.
Terminology and regulatory treatment depend on jurisdiction.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Recovery of minerals by circulating a solution through a deposit and bringing dissolved material to the surface.
In practice: The uranium project describes ISR wellfields.
Groundwater controls and applicable permits remain central.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Systems used to process, store, and communicate information.
In practice: The IT team manages business applications and network services.
Industrial systems may have different reliability and safety constraints.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An independent group providing technical review of a tailings facility and its management.
In practice: The annual review records ITRB findings.
Independent review does not replace operator accountability.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Separation using materials that exchange selected ions with ions in a solution.
In practice: The uranium recovery circuit uses IX resin.
Resin selection depends on solution chemistry.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A structured review of job steps, hazards, and protective measures.
In practice: The crew reviews the JHA before an unfamiliar task.
A completed form does not replace effective controls.
Resources, studies & economics · Reporting framework · International context — The Australasian committee associated with the JORC Code for reporting exploration results, mineral resources, and ore reserves.
In practice: The international company's report identifies its JORC basis.
The JORC Code is not a U.S. securities regulation.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A task-level review connecting job steps with hazards and controls.
In practice: The supervisor reviews the JSA with the crew.
Often used similarly to JHA; follow local definitions.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A reporting shorthand for one thousand ounces, usually troy ounces for precious metals.
In practice: The gold table reports production in koz.
Confirm ounce type and whether quantities are contained, recovered, or sold.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A selected measure used to monitor performance against an objective.
In practice: The production meeting tracks throughput and availability KPIs.
A metric needs a clear definition, owner, and time basis.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A quantity of one thousand metric tonnes when used in this reporting convention.
In practice: The table gives annual output in kt.
Confirm the report's abbreviations; k can have other meanings.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — Energy consumption per metric tonne on a stated production basis.
In practice: The mill dashboard states specific energy in kWh/t of feed.
A lower value is meaningful only with comparable feed and product targets.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A reporting basis expressing lithium content as the equivalent mass of lithium carbonate.
In practice: The resource table states contained lithium on an LCE basis.
An equivalent quantity is not proof of saleable product or recovery.
Mine operations & equipment · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A cubic meter of material after excavation or blasting has loosened it.
In practice: The haulage estimate accounts for LCM after excavation.
A swell factor is needed to relate loose and bank volumes.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A compositional family of granitic pegmatites important in some hard-rock lithium exploration.
In practice: The exploration map identifies LCT pegmatite targets.
Lithium mineralogy affects processing options.
Mine operations & equipment · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A cubic yard of excavated material measured in its loose state.
In practice: The truck-capacity estimate uses LCY.
Loose volume depends on material and handling.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The lowest concentration of a gas or vapor in air capable of propagating flame under specified conditions.
In practice: The monitor displays a reading as percent of LEL.
Percent LEL differs from percent gas by volume.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Ventilation that captures airborne contaminants at or near their source.
In practice: The transfer point uses LEV to control airborne dust.
Capture design, airflow, and maintenance determine performance.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A machine that loads, carries, and dumps material, commonly in underground mining.
In practice: The LHD moves broken ore from a stope to a loading point.
The acronym describes the equipment function.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A fuel's heat release excluding the latent heat recovered by condensing product water under the stated method.
In practice: The energy model identifies its LHV basis.
Do not compare fuel values without checking the basis.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for lithium.
In practice: The brine report states Li concentration with units.
Lithium mass and lithium carbonate equivalent are different reporting bases.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A ranging method using laser pulses to measure surfaces and generate three-dimensional spatial information.
In practice: The quarry uses LiDAR data to map bench geometry.
Survey controls and processing determine usable accuracy.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — Software that tracks laboratory samples, workflows, analytical results, and associated records.
In practice: The lab uploads validated assay results from its LIMS.
A software record does not by itself validate an assay.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Mineral separation using relatively low magnetic-field intensity for strongly magnetic materials.
In practice: The iron-ore flowsheet includes LIMS for magnetite recovery.
LIMS also names laboratory information software.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — An estimate of the lowest analyte level distinguishable from background under a specified method.
In practice: The certificate reports a result below the LOD.
A nondetect does not mean the analyte is absent.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The mass change measured after a sample is heated under a specified laboratory procedure.
In practice: The certificate reports LOI alongside major-element results.
LOI is method-dependent and is not automatically just moisture.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — The projected operating life or production schedule of a mine under stated assumptions.
In practice: The plan schedules waste movement across the LOM.
It can change with reserves, prices, permits, and operating decisions.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The lowest analyte level that can be quantified with specified method performance.
In practice: The analyst distinguishes a detected result from one above the LOQ.
Terminology and calculation methods vary between laboratories.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Procedures and devices for controlling hazardous energy during servicing and maintenance.
In practice: The maintenance job references the site's LOTO procedure.
Isolation requirements depend on the equipment and governing rules.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass unit equal to 2,240 pounds.
In practice: The historical shipment report specifies lt.
Long tons, short tons, and metric tonnes differ.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An injury meeting an organization's or reporting system's criteria for time lost from work.
In practice: The report explains its LTI classification.
Definitions vary; it is not a universal reporting category.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A rate of lost-time injuries per stated number of hours worked.
In practice: The dashboard labels LTIFR per million hours.
Some organizations use another hours base; read the definition.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — An underground mining method extracting material along a long face while supports advance with the working area.
In practice: The schedule separates LW production from development work.
The abbreviation also appears in equipment and panel identifiers.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A combined reference to measured and indicated mineral-resource categories.
In practice: The resource table states M&I separately from inferred resources.
These are resources; they are not proven and probable reserves.
Resources, studies & economics · Publication · U.S. specific — An annual USGS publication presenting mineral commodity statistics, context, and selected definitions.
In practice: The research cites the 2026 MCS edition.
Statistics and classifications have publication-specific definitions.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A detection-limit estimate that reflects the performance of a defined analytical method.
In practice: The water report lists an MDL for each analyte.
Check the method-specific definition.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass concentration commonly used in water analysis.
In practice: The certificate reports dissolved solids in mg/L.
Approximately equals ppm only for suitable dilute aqueous solutions.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The 2006 federal law that amended mine safety requirements, including emergency preparedness measures.
In practice: The training discusses the MINER Act's emergency-response context.
Use current implementing rules for operational requirements.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Water whose chemistry or physical characteristics are affected by mining or mineral processing.
In practice: The treatment study evaluates several MIW streams.
Includes more than acidic water alone.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — BLM's online system for mineral and land records, transactions, mapping, and case information.
In practice: The claimant searches mining-claim information in MLRS.
Records do not by themselves establish that an area is available to claim.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A location or function coordinating mine operational information, including communication or tracking systems.
In practice: The tracking system relays information to the MOC.
MOC can mean management of change in another context.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A reporting shorthand for one million ounces, usually troy ounces for precious metals.
In practice: The resource table reports contained gold in Moz.
Contained ounces do not equal recoverable or saleable ounces.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A pressure or stress unit equal to one million pascals.
In practice: The rock-test report gives UCS in MPa.
Read test conditions as well as the unit.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — An estimate describing the quantity, grade or quality, and classification of a mineral resource.
In practice: The issuer publishes an MRE with its assumptions and effective date.
A mineral resource is not automatically a mineral reserve.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The U.S. Department of Labor agency enforcing federal mine safety and health requirements.
In practice: The mine operator reviews MSHA training and inspection information.
MSHA jurisdiction differs from OSHA jurisdiction.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A quantity of one million metric tonnes in mining-resource and production tables.
In practice: The resource statement reports tonnage in Mt.
Case and context matter; MT is also used for metric tonnes or magnetotellurics.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A geophysical method using natural electromagnetic-field variations to investigate subsurface electrical resistivity.
In practice: The project uses MT to investigate deeper structures.
MT can also denote metric tonnes in company reports; check units.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — An average operating-time interval between defined failures of repairable equipment.
In practice: The dashboard reports MTBF for a specified pump population.
The failure definition and observed operating time matter.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — The average time required to repair equipment under the report's defined timing boundaries.
In practice: The planner states whether MTTR includes waiting for parts.
Some organizations instead use mean time to restore; read the definition.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A class of generally carbonate-hosted lead-zinc deposits named after examples in the Mississippi Valley region.
In practice: The report describes MVT-style mineralization.
The term describes geology, not a required geographic location.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A geodetic reference datum used in many U.S. maps and survey datasets.
In practice: The GIS layer identifies NAD83 in its coordinate metadata.
Different datum realizations can yield different coordinates.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A laboratory test approach assessing net acidity produced after accelerated oxidation.
In practice: The geochemical program compares NAG test results with ABA.
NAG can instead mean non-acid generating in material classifications.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A waste-material classification indicating that acid generation is not expected under the project's criteria.
In practice: The placement plan identifies a NAG material zone.
This is a classification, not the net acid generation test.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law providing a framework for environmental review of covered federal actions.
In practice: The project team checks the applicable NEPA process.
A review document is not the same as every required permit.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — EPA standards addressing hazardous air pollutants from specified source categories.
In practice: The plant review identifies potentially relevant NESHAP provisions.
A category name alone does not establish applicability.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A pressure-driven membrane separation method between ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis in typical separation behavior.
In practice: The study tests NF for a mine-water stream.
Performance varies with the membrane and water chemistry.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for nickel.
In practice: The laterite report gives Ni grade in percent.
Mineralogy affects processing options.
Resources, studies & economics · Reporting framework · International context — The Canadian securities instrument governing disclosure standards for mineral projects.
In practice: A Canadian issuer reports a U.S. property under NI 43-101.
Its presence in a U.S. project report does not make it a U.S. regulation.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal institute conducting occupational safety and health research and making prevention recommendations.
In practice: The engineer consults NIOSH mining research.
NIOSH research and recommendations differ from MSHA enforcement.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The USGS center responsible for mineral commodity statistics and related supply-chain information.
In practice: The research cites NMIC commodity data.
Publication dates and reporting bases matter.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The difference between neutralization potential and acid potential on a matching basis.
In practice: The report states NNP as NP minus AP.
It is one screening indicator, not a standalone drainage prediction.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A notice used to communicate proposed activity or participation under a specific regulatory process.
In practice: The project checks which agency's NOI form applies.
NOI means different notices under land, water, and environmental-review programs.
Drilling & blasting · Acronym · Industry-wide — A trade name commonly encountered for shock-tube-based non-electric initiation equipment.
In practice: The product documentation identifies a NONEL system.
Use the manufacturer's exact product terminology and instructions.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An estimate of a material's capacity to neutralize acid under a specified test.
In practice: The laboratory reports NP using the selected ABA method.
Laboratory capacity may differ from field reaction behavior.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The Clean Water Act permitting program for covered pollutant discharges to waters of the United States.
In practice: The operator reviews its NPDES permit conditions.
Federal, state, or tribal agencies may administer the program.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — EPA's list of sites prioritized for long-term remedial evaluation and response under Superfund.
In practice: The analyst checks whether a historic mine site is on the NPL.
Listing is a program status, not a complete description of site risk.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The ratio of neutralization potential to acid potential on compatible bases.
In practice: The geochemist reports NPR with the underlying test results.
Interpretation depends on methods, material, and site criteria.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — The present value of projected cash inflows and outflows using a stated discount rate and timing basis.
In practice: The study reports after-tax NPV at a specified discount rate.
Results depend on assumptions; figures from different bases are not directly comparable.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal regulator for civilian nuclear materials and activities within its jurisdiction, including certain uranium-recovery facilities.
In practice: The uranium project checks NRC or Agreement State requirements.
Regulatory responsibility varies with the facility and state.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — EPA emission standards for specified categories of new, modified, or reconstructed stationary sources.
In practice: The crusher review checks the relevant NSPS category.
Applicability depends on the rule and equipment details.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — The estimated revenue remaining after specified smelting, refining, and related charges under a stated calculation.
In practice: The polymetallic mine uses an NSR basis for evaluation.
An NSR royalty is a contract-specific interest using its own defined basis.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A unit of turbidity based on light scattering measured by a specified method.
In practice: The field meter reports turbidity in NTU.
NTU is not directly interchangeable with TSS concentration.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A performance measure combining availability, performance, and quality under defined conventions.
In practice: The plant explains how it calculates OEE.
Mining applications must define each factor and time category explicitly.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — The organization that originally manufactures a machine or component.
In practice: The planner checks OEM maintenance instructions before a repair.
Component suppliers and equipment integrators may have different roles.
Workforce & shift management · Acronym · Industry-wide — Training delivered while performing or practicing job activities under appropriate instruction.
In practice: The coordinator records OJT for a new task.
OJT must satisfy any applicable training-plan requirements.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A coordinated set of operating, maintenance, and monitoring activities, often documented for tailings facilities.
In practice: The facility team follows its OMS manual.
Document scope and terminology depend on the adopted standard.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — An abbreviation for a surface excavation mined in a series of benches.
In practice: The mine plan compares OP and UG development options.
Company-specific shorthand may differ.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — Costs associated with ongoing operations under the report's stated definition.
In practice: The model states mining and processing OPEX assumptions.
Always check included costs and the unit basis.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An electrode-based measure indicating a solution's tendency toward oxidation or reduction.
In practice: The study records ORP during water-treatment testing.
Interpretation depends on reference electrode and solution conditions.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The U.S. Department of Labor agency responsible for occupational safety and health within its jurisdiction.
In practice: The project checks the MSHA-OSHA agreement for jurisdictional context.
The work activity and facility matter when determining jurisdiction.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The Interior Department bureau administering federal surface coal mining and reclamation responsibilities under SMCRA.
In practice: The reclamation specialist consults OSMRE guidance.
Its role should not be generalized to every hard-rock mine.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Hardware and software that monitor or control physical equipment and processes.
In practice: The mine separates OT control responsibilities from office IT.
OT also means overtime in workforce records.
Workforce & shift management · Acronym · Industry-wide — Work time or compensation treated as overtime under applicable law, agreement, or employer policy.
In practice: The payroll review separates regular hours from OT.
A site's shift pattern alone does not determine overtime entitlement.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A precious-metal mass unit of approximately 31.1034768 grams.
In practice: The bullion statement explicitly identifies troy ounces.
A troy ounce differs from an avoirdupois ounce.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A precious-metal grade expressed in troy ounces per U.S. short ton.
In practice: The historical gold table states grade in oz/st.
One oz/st is approximately 34.2857 g/t; confirm both ounce and ton basis.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A combined reference to proven and probable mineral-reserve categories.
In practice: The reserve statement gives P&P tonnage and grade.
Do not substitute an M&I resource total for P&P reserves.
Mineral processing & recovery · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — The particle size below which 80% of the product passes on the stated distribution basis.
In practice: The mill report gives product P80 in micrometers.
A target size does not by itself establish liberation or recovery.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A classification for material that may generate acidity under the adopted characterization criteria.
In practice: The waste plan segregates PAG material.
Classification depends on site criteria and supporting tests.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A general abbreviation for acid leaching under pressure.
In practice: The process description identifies a PAL stage.
Check whether the report uses PAL and HPAL synonymously.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A respirator that uses a blower to move air through filters or cartridges to the wearer.
In practice: The respiratory program evaluates a suitable PAPR.
Air-purifying devices do not supply oxygen.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — MSHA training regulations for specified surface nonmetal operations, including listed aggregate and related mines.
In practice: The operator confirms whether the mine falls under Part 46.
Part 46 is not the rule for every surface mine.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — MSHA training regulations covering underground mines and other covered surface mining operations.
In practice: The training coordinator checks the appropriate Part 48 subpart.
Part 48 includes surface operations as well as underground mines.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for lead.
In practice: The concentrate specification reports Pb content.
Exposure hazards require appropriate controls.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Maintenance using condition information and analysis to anticipate when intervention may be needed.
In practice: The planner reviews vibration trends for a PdM decision.
Prediction quality depends on measurements and failure-mode knowledge.
Resources, studies & economics · Reporting framework · International context — A Canadian mineral-project study assessing potential economic viability at an earlier stage than a pre-feasibility or feasibility study.
In practice: The issuer publishes a PEA with required cautions.
A PEA does not demonstrate mineral reserves.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An enforceable occupational exposure limit under the applicable regulation.
In practice: The hygienist checks the governing PEL and averaging period.
MSHA and OSHA rules are not interchangeable.
Drilling & blasting · Acronym · Industry-wide — A ratio relating explosive quantity to the mass or volume of rock broken.
In practice: The blast report explicitly states the PF units.
Conventions may use reciprocal ratios; never assume the basis.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A study evaluating development options and economic viability at a level defined by the applicable reporting framework.
In practice: The QP uses a PFS to support reserve evaluation.
An early conceptual study is not automatically a PFS.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The six-element group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium.
In practice: The assay table reports individual PGE values.
A subset total should identify exactly which elements it includes.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The metallic group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium.
In practice: The concentrate report identifies payable PGM.
PGE and PGM often refer to the same elements in different contexts.
Water, waste & reclamation · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A logarithmic measure related to hydrogen-ion activity in a solution.
In practice: The treatment operator records pH with other water-quality readings.
pH is a symbol, not an acronym; it does not describe all water hazards.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — An industrial controller that executes programmed logic to monitor inputs and operate equipment.
In practice: The conveyor controls use a PLC.
A standard PLC is not automatically a safety controller.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Leach solution containing dissolved target metals for downstream recovery.
In practice: The PLS pond receives solution from the leach facility.
Pregnant describes dissolved metal content, not safe handling conditions.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The cadastral survey framework dividing much U.S. public land into townships, ranges, sections, and subdivisions.
In practice: The claim description identifies a PLSS section and subdivision.
Not all U.S. land uses this system.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Maintenance performed at defined intervals or according to established criteria to reduce failure risk.
In practice: The weekly plan includes PM for a pump.
Time-based PM differs from condition-based maintenance.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A plan describing proposed activities, impacts, and protective measures for review by the relevant land-management authority.
In practice: The operator prepares a POO for the proposed disturbance.
Required contents and approval rules depend on the authority.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — An enforcement status under the Mine Act and implementing rules for qualifying patterns of violations.
In practice: The compliance team reviews MSHA POV information.
Use current criteria and official notices for determinations.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Oxidative treatment at elevated pressure and temperature, often used to prepare refractory sulfide material for recovery.
In practice: The metallurgical study considers POX pretreatment.
This label does not specify operating conditions.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A concentration ratio of one part in one billion on a stated basis.
In practice: The water laboratory reports a trace concentration in ppb.
Check whether the report uses mass, volume, or another basis.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Equipment worn to reduce exposure to workplace hazards.
In practice: The site procedure identifies the PPE required for the task.
Selection follows the hazard assessment and applicable requirements.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A concentration ratio of one part in one million on a stated basis.
In practice: The rock assay reports arsenic in ppm by mass.
Gas-volume ppm and solid-mass ppm use different bases.
Drilling & blasting · Acronym · Industry-wide — The maximum measured ground-particle velocity during an event such as a blast.
In practice: The monitoring report records PPV and frequency.
PPV does not describe airborne sound pressure.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The proportions of material present in different particle-size ranges.
In practice: The plant reviews feed PSD when evaluating mill performance.
PSD also means Prevention of Significant Deterioration in air permitting.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A Clean Air Act preconstruction review program for certain new or modified major sources in specified areas.
In practice: The permit analysis evaluates PSD applicability.
PSD also means particle size distribution in processing.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A pressure or stress unit using pound-force per square inch.
In practice: The hydraulic gauge reads psi.
Gauge and absolute pressure have different reference bases.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — Portable XRF instrumentation used for field or bench elemental measurements.
In practice: The crew uses pXRF to screen samples before laboratory analysis.
Screening values need appropriate validation before resource use.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The planned procedures and management systems intended to ensure work meets defined quality requirements.
In practice: The laboratory quality plan describes QA responsibilities.
QA and QC are related but distinct.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The planned systems and operational checks used to support dependable sampling, analysis, and data handling.
In practice: The assay batch includes blanks, duplicates, and reference materials for QA/QC.
Good QA/QC does not remove every source of sampling bias.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — The measurements and checks used to monitor whether work meets specified quality requirements.
In practice: The geologist reviews QC results before releasing assays.
A failed control needs investigation under the project procedure.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A mineral-industry professional meeting the qualification requirements of the applicable disclosure framework.
In practice: The technical disclosure identifies its QP and responsibility areas.
SEC S-K 1300 and Canadian NI 43-101 have distinct rule sets.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A drilling method that returns rock cuttings through an inner pipe for sampling.
In practice: The exploration program combines RC chips with diamond core.
Sample recovery and contamination control affect interpretation.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A structured investigation of underlying causes contributing to a failure or incident.
In practice: The team completes RCA after repeated bearing failures.
The purpose is to identify effective corrective actions.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A structured approach to selecting maintenance based on functions, failures, and their consequences.
In practice: The team applies RCM to critical pumping equipment.
It requires an asset-specific analysis.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The respirable fraction of airborne dust in coal-mine environments.
In practice: The coal-mine sampling plan addresses RCMD exposure.
Dust composition varies with the work and geology.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law governing solid and hazardous waste management under specified programs.
In practice: The waste review evaluates applicable RCRA classifications.
Some mining wastes have specific exclusions; not all wastes qualify.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Crystalline silica in airborne particles small enough to reach the gas-exchange region of the lungs.
In practice: The exposure program evaluates RCS from drilling and crushing.
Acronym definitions do not establish a site's exposure compliance.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — A group generally comprising the lanthanides plus yttrium and scandium in mineral reporting.
In practice: The deposit study reports individual REE concentrations.
State which elements are included in any reported total.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An occupational exposure recommendation issued by NIOSH.
In practice: The assessment compares exposure information with the relevant REL.
A recommendation is distinct from a regulatory PEL.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — An oxide-based reporting basis for rare-earth content.
In practice: The product specification lists REO composition.
An oxide-equivalent total is not necessarily a finished product.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Electromagnetic frequencies used for radio communication and related applications.
In practice: The communications survey checks RF coverage underground.
Frequency bands and permissible equipment requirements matter.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Technology using radio communication to identify tagged objects or people.
In practice: The underground tracking system uses RFID tags.
Location precision depends on system design.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A Superfund process to characterize contamination and evaluate cleanup alternatives.
In practice: The project reviews alternatives developed in the RI/FS.
The feasibility study here is a cleanup study, not a mine-development study.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A rock-mass classification system combining rock strength, discontinuity characteristics, groundwater, and other inputs.
In practice: The engineer uses RMR in a ground characterization study.
The version and adjustment method matter.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A membrane process that uses pressure to separate water from many dissolved constituents.
In practice: The mine-water study includes RO treatment.
Concentrated residual streams need their own management.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A decision document recording an agency's selected action and supporting basis under a specified program.
In practice: The file contains the NEPA ROD for the project.
ROD also appears in Superfund; identify the program.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — Material as produced by mining before specified downstream preparation or beneficiation.
In practice: The haul truck tips ROM ore near the primary crusher.
ROM is not necessarily saleable product.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — The distance a drill advances per unit time.
In practice: The shift report records ROP in feet per hour.
Do not confuse drilling speed with sample quality.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — A structure designed to provide an operator protective space during a vehicle rollover under defined test conditions.
In practice: The equipment record identifies the installed ROPS.
It is part of a protective system, not a guarantee against injury.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A comparison of two results expressed relative to their average, commonly used for duplicate samples.
In practice: The QA/QC chart tracks RPD between duplicate assays.
Values near detection limits require careful interpretation.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Equipment intended to protect a wearer against inhalation hazards.
In practice: The assessment identifies whether RPE is required.
Correct selection, fit, training, and use are essential.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — An index based on the length of sound core pieces at least 100 mm long relative to the core run.
In practice: The geotechnical log reports RQD for each core run.
A rock-mass indicator, not an ore-grade or recovery measure.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — Standard deviation expressed as a percentage of the mean.
In practice: The lab summarizes replicate precision using RSD.
It describes relative variability, not accuracy against a true value.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A role in tailings governance coordinating specified facility engineering and operational responsibilities.
In practice: The operating framework identifies an RTFE for the facility.
The role's precise responsibilities follow the adopted framework.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A satellite surveying technique using correction data to improve positioning precision.
In practice: The surveyor records stockpile control points with RTK.
Precision depends on reception, correction quality, and setup.
Resources, studies & economics · Reporting framework · U.S. specific — The SEC framework for mining-property disclosures by covered registrants.
In practice: The issuer's TRS supports disclosure under S-K 1300.
It is a disclosure framework, not a mining permit.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — An MSHA violation designation involving a reasonably likely serious hazard contribution under the applicable legal test.
In practice: The inspection report identifies an S&S citation.
It is a legal designation, not simply a synonym for severe.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A grinding-circuit configuration combining SAG milling, ball milling, and crushing of pebbles from the circuit.
In practice: The concentrator flowsheet shows a SABC circuit.
Circuit arrangements differ between operations.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Grinding that uses both the ore itself and added grinding media, usually steel balls.
In practice: The concentrator sends crushed ore to a SAG mill.
SAG describes the grinding method, not a finished particle size.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A passive mine-water treatment approach that combines alkalinity-generating components in a designed sequence.
In practice: The remediation study evaluates SAPS treatment.
Site water chemistry and maintenance requirements matter.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Systems used to supervise industrial processes and collect operational data.
In practice: The control room monitors plant status through SCADA.
Control architecture and cybersecurity protections are site-specific.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — Breathing equipment that supplies air from a source carried by the wearer.
In practice: The mine-rescue equipment list includes SCBA.
Use depends on training, suitability, and the response plan.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A portable breathing device intended for escape from a hazardous mine atmosphere.
In practice: The training record includes SCSR donning practice.
Escape equipment is not interchangeable with work or rescue breathing apparatus.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A standardized document communicating chemical hazards, handling information, and emergency measures.
In practice: The crew checks the SDS for the process reagent.
Use the current sheet for the exact product.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law supporting drinking-water protection and related programs, including UIC.
In practice: The groundwater review identifies relevant SDWA programs.
Drinking-water standards and discharge limits are distinct.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The U.S. securities regulator responsible for mining-property disclosure rules for covered registrants.
In practice: The issuer prepares mining disclosures under applicable SEC rules.
SEC filing availability is not agency endorsement of an issuer's estimates.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A deposit classification associated with mineralizing fluids discharged into a sedimentary basin.
In practice: The geologist evaluates a SEDEX lead-zinc target.
Geological classification can change with new evidence.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A microscopy technique that scans a surface with an electron beam to examine fine features.
In practice: The process study uses SEM to examine mineral textures.
Analytical attachments may provide additional compositional information.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A ratio comparing a material's density with a reference density, commonly water for solids.
In practice: The resource model uses measured SG values to estimate tonnage.
Bulk density, particle density, and SG are not interchangeable without context.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The federal law establishing a framework for surface coal mining regulation and abandoned mine reclamation.
In practice: The coal-reclamation plan identifies SMCRA requirements.
It is not a general permit system for all mineral extraction.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A documented procedure describing how a defined activity is to be performed.
In practice: The operator checks the current SOP before startup.
The current approved site procedure controls the task.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — The ratio of waste material removed to ore or coal recovered under a specified mass or volume basis.
In practice: The plan states SR as waste tonnes per ore tonne.
Always check the numerator, denominator, period, and units.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A reference material designation used by NIST for materials supplied with characterized properties.
In practice: The method references a NIST SRM for instrument checks.
Not every laboratory standard is a NIST SRM.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A U.S. mass unit equal to 2,000 pounds.
In practice: The coal report explicitly states production in st.
Do not treat a short ton as a metric tonne.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An exposure limit over a specified short averaging period.
In practice: The procedure distinguishes STEL evaluation from a shift average.
Use the relevant authority's averaging period and conditions.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — A site plan documenting pollutant sources, controls, and practices under an applicable stormwater permit.
In practice: The inspection checks controls described in the SWPPP.
The permit determines required contents and implementation.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Transfer of dissolved species between immiscible liquid phases to separate or concentrate them.
In practice: The copper circuit uses SX before electrowinning.
The specific chemistry and reagents depend on the process.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A combined process that concentrates dissolved metal by solvent extraction and recovers it by electrowinning.
In practice: The copper operation reports SX-EW cathode production.
Not every copper ore is suitable for this route.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass unit equal to 1,000 kilograms.
In practice: The resource table reports tonnage in t.
A metric tonne differs from a U.S. short ton.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass-throughput rate in metric tonnes per day.
In practice: The plant capacity is stated in t/d.
Check whether the rate refers to feed, product, or a design assumption.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass-throughput rate in metric tonnes per hour.
In practice: The mill report identifies actual feed in t/h.
Capacity and sustained operating throughput are different measures.
Workforce & shift management · Acronym · Industry-wide — Records and processes for tracking employees' work time and attendance.
In practice: The supervisor reviews T&A before payroll approval.
Work-time records and MSHA training records serve different purposes.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A plan linking monitored conditions to predefined triggers, responsibilities, and actions.
In practice: The geotechnical team reviews a TARP after a monitoring change.
Trigger values must be designed for the specific operation.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The total measured carbon under a specified method, including elemental and organic carbon fractions where applicable.
In practice: The DPM report states whether results are reported as TC.
Read the method and reporting basis.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — Commercial charges for processing concentrate and refining contained metals under a smelter agreement.
In practice: The concentrate model states TC/RC assumptions.
Payability, penalties, and transport may be separate deductions.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The dissolved material in water measured or estimated under a specified method.
In practice: The water-quality report states TDS in mg/L.
TDS differs from suspended solids and individual contaminant concentrations.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A measurement of carbon in inorganic forms, such as carbonate, using a defined method.
In practice: The geochemical program includes TIC for selected samples.
The analytical method determines which forms are included.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A surface representation made from connected triangles of irregularly spaced points.
In practice: The survey software uses a TIN for stockpile volumes.
Breaklines and point quality influence calculated volumes.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An ACGIH occupational exposure guideline for specified substances or physical agents.
In practice: The hygienist identifies the edition and type of TLV consulted.
A TLV is not automatically an enforceable legal limit.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A facility and associated systems used to manage tailings and related water.
In practice: The closure plan defines the TMF boundary.
Terminology may encompass more than the storage impoundment.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A measurement of carbon present in organic compounds under a specified analytical method.
In practice: The water study includes TOC in the analytical schedule.
Do not confuse it with a report's table of contents.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A throughput abbreviation whose ton basis must be defined by the report.
In practice: The U.S. quarry report defines TPH as short tons per hour.
TPH is also widely used for tonnes per hour; confirm the unit.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The summed rare-earth content reported on an oxide basis under a stated element list.
In practice: The resource table explains the elements included in TREO.
Definitions may include or exclude particular elements; read the footnote.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A recordable-case frequency metric commonly normalized to 200,000 hours worked in U.S. reporting.
In practice: The annual report states the cases and hours used for TRIR.
Definitions and populations must match before comparing sites.
Resources, studies & economics · Acronym · Industry-wide — A report by qualified persons supporting specified mining-property disclosures under SEC rules.
In practice: The company files a TRS for a material property.
A historical technical report may follow a different framework.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An engineered facility used to store tailings from mineral processing.
In practice: The operator reviews monitoring information for the TSF.
Facility design and consequence classification require specialist assessment.
Water, waste & reclamation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The suspended material retained and measured using a defined filtration and gravimetric method.
In practice: The discharge report lists TSS results.
Filter and analytical procedures define the measurement.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — Communications that transmit signals through geological material rather than relying solely on open-air paths.
In practice: The emergency-communications study considers TTE systems.
Performance depends on geology, depth, and system design.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — An average exposure weighted by the time spent at each measured or estimated concentration.
In practice: The monitoring report gives a TWA for its stated period.
The averaging period and measurement method must be specified.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for uranium.
In practice: The report specifies whether grades are expressed as U or U3O8.
Elemental uranium and uranium-oxide equivalent are different bases.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — A uranium oxide formula widely used as an equivalent reporting basis in uranium grades and quantities.
In practice: The uranium resource table reports pounds of U3O8.
A reporting equivalent does not necessarily describe the actual mineral present.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — An unmanned aircraft together with its control and support systems.
In practice: The mine commissions a UAS stockpile survey.
Airspace and operating requirements apply separately.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — The compressive stress at failure of a specimen loaded without lateral confinement.
In practice: The laboratory reports UCS for intact rock specimens.
Intact-rock strength differs from rock-mass strength.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — The upper gas or vapor concentration in air capable of propagating flame under specified conditions.
In practice: The reference table lists both LEL and UEL.
Atmospheres above the UEL can become flammable when diluted.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Membrane filtration that removes particles and larger dissolved or colloidal species according to membrane characteristics.
In practice: The treatment train includes UF before another membrane stage.
UF does not remove all dissolved salts.
Mine operations & equipment · Acronym · Industry-wide — An abbreviation used to identify mining activities or workings below the surface.
In practice: The schedule separates UG development from surface work.
Read the document legend for local shorthand.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A radio-frequency band designation used by some mine communications systems.
In practice: The specification identifies a UHF radio network.
Propagation depends on the mine geometry and infrastructure.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Law, rule, or program · U.S. specific — The Safe Drinking Water Act program governing covered injection wells to protect underground sources of drinking water.
In practice: The ISR project checks the applicable UIC authorization.
Well class and authority depend on the activity and location.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — A federal engineering organization with civil-works and specified aquatic-resource permitting responsibilities.
In practice: The project identifies whether USACE review is relevant to proposed work.
The applicable permit depends on the activity and jurisdiction.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal agency managing national forests and grasslands and related surface-management responsibilities.
In practice: The exploration plan identifies USFS-managed surface lands.
Surface management and mineral ownership can differ.
U.S. agencies & mine rules · Agency or organization · U.S. specific — The federal science agency producing geological, mineral-resource, mapping, and water information.
In practice: The analyst consults USGS mineral statistics.
USGS information does not establish private mineral title.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A map-coordinate system using numbered zones and eastings and northings.
In practice: The sampling file states its UTM zone and datum.
Coordinates need both zone and datum to be interpreted correctly.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — An electronic drive that varies motor supply frequency to control motor speed.
In practice: The pump uses a VFD to adjust flow.
Application and protective settings follow engineering requirements.
Technology & maintenance · Acronym · Industry-wide — A radio-frequency band designation used in communications.
In practice: The surface fleet uses a specified VHF channel plan.
VHF does not describe coverage or authorization by itself.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A mineral-deposit type associated with volcanic processes and commonly containing copper, zinc, or other metals.
In practice: The exploration model targets a VMS system.
A deposit type does not establish grade or economic viability.
Drilling & blasting · Acronym · Industry-wide — The speed at which a detonation wave propagates through an explosive.
In practice: The product data sheet lists a VOD value.
This describes explosive performance, not vibration at a receptor.
Safety, health & ventilation · Acronym · Industry-wide — A ventilation-control approach that adjusts airflow based on operational demand and defined safety requirements.
In practice: The ventilation study evaluates VOD for occupied working areas.
VOD also means velocity of detonation in blasting.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — A cyanide analytical classification for species that dissociate under defined weak-acid test conditions.
In practice: The laboratory report lists WAD cyanide separately from total cyanide.
It is an analytical category, not a safe-exposure threshold.
Workforce & shift management · Acronym · Industry-wide — Processes and systems for scheduling work, tracking time, and coordinating staffing.
In practice: The mine uses WFM to align crew schedules and recorded hours.
The system must be configured to the employer's rules.
Exploration & geology · Acronym · Industry-wide — A global geodetic reference system commonly associated with satellite positioning.
In practice: The handheld export identifies WGS84 coordinates.
Do not combine coordinates without checking reference systems.
Mineral processing & recovery · Acronym · Industry-wide — Wet mineral separation using a high-intensity magnetic field to capture weakly magnetic particles.
In practice: The test program evaluates WHIMS on a fine fraction.
Performance depends on mineralogy and liberation.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A component's mass expressed as a percentage of total mass.
In practice: The iron-ore report states iron grade in wt%.
Confirm dry versus wet basis.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — A technique identifying crystalline phases through their diffraction patterns.
In practice: The mineralogist uses XRD to identify clay minerals.
XRD identifies mineral phases; XRF measures elemental composition.
Sampling & laboratory · Acronym · Industry-wide — An elemental analysis method based on characteristic X-rays emitted from an excited sample.
In practice: The laboratory measures selected elements by XRF.
Field screening and laboratory assays may use different preparation and calibration.
Minerals, metals & chemistry · Chemical symbol or group · Industry-wide — The chemical symbol for zinc.
In practice: The resource statement lists Zn grade.
Elemental content is distinct from a mineral species.
Units, grades & quantities · Unit or symbol · Industry-wide — A mass concentration equal to one-thousandth of a milligram per liter.
In practice: The trace-metal result is reported in µg/L.
Keep the unit when comparing with other results.
Read reports and talk across disciplines with fewer misunderstandings. Start with six distinctions that matter.
Both sit within the U.S. Department of Labor. Mine safety jurisdiction is distinct from general workplace safety jurisdiction; the facility and activity matter.
M&I means measured and indicated resources. P&P means proven and probable reserves. A resource estimate does not establish economically mineable reserves.
CIL combines leaching and carbon adsorption in the same circuit stage. CIP places carbon adsorption after a separate leaching stage.
A self-rescuer is intended for escape. Self-contained breathing apparatus serves other trained uses, including rescue. They are not interchangeable.
AMD can describe acid mine drainage or abandoned mine drainage. Historic mine water can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline.
A U.S. short ton is 2,000 pounds. A metric tonne is 1,000 kilograms, about 2,204.62 pounds. Check the unit before comparing tonnage or grades.
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Disclaimer: The USA Mining & Mineral Extraction Acronym Database is provided solely for educational, reference, and informational purposes and does not constitute professional engineering, legal, environmental, or operational safety advice. Technical standards, agency jurisdictions, and regulatory exposure thresholds vary by mineral, site conditions, and governing authorities; users must verify specific procedures, data interpretations, and safety protocols directly against current site plans, applicable federal or state regulations, and competent technical professionals.
Disclaimer: The content provided on this webpage is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the information presented here, the details may change over time or vary in different jurisdictions. Therefore, we do not guarantee the completeness, reliability, or absolute accuracy of this information. The information on this page should not be used as a basis for making legal, financial, or any other key decisions. We strongly advise consulting with a qualified professional or expert in the relevant field for specific advice, guidance, or services. By using this webpage, you acknowledge that the information is offered “as is” and that we are not liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the content, nor for any actions taken based on the information provided. We shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your access to, use of, or reliance on any content on this page.
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