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open-pit mine
Type of mining that is used for shallow deposits; coal or ore is extracted by digging a succession of benches from the surface of the ground downward.
crater
Depression that forms the bottom of the quarry; it is a result of the extraction of deposits.
haulage road
Access road leading to the quarry; it is used to haul coal to the treatment plant.
ore
Solid fossil fuel that is black and contains a large amount of carbon.
bench height
Vertical distance between the horizontal planes of two benches.
ramp
Roadway between two benches; it is inclined so that motorized vehicles can remove the ore extracted from the various levels.
overburden
Part of the ground that covers the ore beds; it is removed to reach the deposit.
ground surface
The land that covers the deposit.
face
Vertical surface created by dynamiting a deposit to extract its ore.
bench
The levels of a quarry that are arranged like steps of a staircase and from which coal or ore is extracted.