Exploration & Mining Glossary

Open pit mine - A mine working or excavation open to the surface, also called open cut, open cast.

Optimal pit shell - The pit shell contour, the shape of the pit which is the result of extracting the volume of material that provides the total maximum profit while satisfying the operational requirements of safe wall slopes.

Ore - Rock from which metal or minerals can be extracted at a financial profit.

Ore shoot - A long seam of mineral or metal bearing rock that can be profitable to extract.

Outcrop - An exposure of rock or mineral deposit that can be seen on surface, that is, not covered by soil or water.

Oxidation zone - The zone found near the earth’s surface that forms as a result of chemical decomposition of unstable minerals under the action of surface waters and groundwater, as well as the oxygen and carbon dioxide present in the air and dissolved in these waters. The change is caused mainly by the process of oxidative transformation. Metal sulfide ores and deposits of sulfur, salts, and coal undergo the most vigorous change.