Mineralogy Glossary
Essential terms and definitions for mineralogy and mineral collecting.
Mining and Ore Geology
Alluvial
Relating to material deposited by flowing water. Alluvial mineral deposits form in river channels and …
Assay
The chemical analysis of an ore sample to determine the content of valuable metals or …
Beneficiation
The process of treating ore to increase the concentration of valuable minerals by removing gangue. …
Deposit
A natural accumulation of a mineral or minerals in a specific location, implying sufficient concentration …
Eluvial
Relating to material that has weathered and concentrated in place without being transported by water. …
Flotation
A mineral processing technique that selectively separates minerals by exploiting differences in their surface hydrophobicity. …
Gangue
The commercially valueless rock or minerals associated with an ore in a mineral deposit. Common …
Grade
The concentration of valuable minerals or metals in an ore, expressed as grams per tonne …
Greisen
A hydrothermally altered granitic rock composed mainly of quartz and mica (usually muscovite or lepidolite), …
Lode
A vein or system of veins containing metallic ore, or more broadly any continuous ore-bearing …
Open Pit
A surface mining method in which ore is extracted from a large, open excavation in …
Ore
A naturally occurring rock or mineral from which a valuable constituent, typically a metal, can …
Overburden
The waste rock and soil overlying a mineral deposit that must be removed before or …
Placer
A mineral deposit formed by the mechanical concentration of heavy, resistant minerals (gold, cassiterite, diamond, …
Skarn
A metasomatic rock formed at the contact between an igneous intrusion and carbonate host rock, …
Smelting
The pyrometallurgical process of extracting a metal from its ore by heating it in a …
Stockwork
A mineral deposit consisting of a network of small, irregular, closely spaced veins and veinlets …
Tailings
The waste material remaining after valuable minerals have been extracted from ore during processing. Tailings …
Underground Mining
Mining methods that extract ore from below the surface through shafts and tunnels. Used for …
Vein
A tabular body of minerals filling a fracture or fault in host rock, typically formed …