Abandoned Mine Reclamation Glossary

The financial mechanism by which regulatory authorities release financial assurances (bonds, letters of credit, or escro...

The formal regulatory approval and documentation process confirming that an abandoned mine has been reclaimed to meet or...

The engineered structures and systems installed to permanently secure, isolate, and stabilize abandoned mine sites durin...

The legal and financial responsibilities assumed by mine operators and site owners for managing environmental and safety...

A comprehensive document outlining the sequential steps, timeline, and financial mechanisms for safely decommissioning a...

The comprehensive process of designing and implementing strategies to safely decommission mining operations, secure haza...

The risk that underground mine workings will fail structurally, potentially causing ground subsidence, sudden sinkholes,...

The removal of accumulated groundwater and surface water from abandoned mine workings, including underground voids, quar...

The process of collecting, treating, and managing water that naturally flows from abandoned mine sites, often containing...

An engineered or natural system designed to remove dissolved metals, adjust pH, and reduce contaminant loads from water...

Engineered systems and facilities designed to control particulate matter emissions from active and reclaimed mining site...

The surface entrance or portal of an underground mine workings, including the immediate surrounding area where extracted...

An electric generating facility constructed adjacent to coal mines, utilizing extracted coal directly without transporta...

The restoration and repurposing of coal mine areas developed specifically for adjacent power generation facilities, addr...

The restoration and stabilization of excavated pit areas and surface disturbances immediately adjacent to active or rece...

The engineering evaluation and monitoring of structural integrity of rock pillars left in place during mining to support...

A water body formed in an excavated pit after mining operations cease and groundwater or surface water accumulates in th...

The natural or engineered process by which pit voids left from open-pit mining fill with water to create permanent or se...

Accumulated groundwater and surface water in abandoned underground mine workings. Often contains dissolved metals and re...

The entrance or exit structure of an underground mine, including the surface opening, surrounding framework, and initial...

The controlled placement of compacted fill material, such as rock fragments or processed tailings, into abandoned mine e...

The sealing or blocking of mine entrance openings to prevent unauthorized access, control ventilation, and contain under...

Physical structures and engineering controls installed at abandoned mine entrances to prevent unauthorized access, wildl...

The process of sealing, securing, or removing entrance structures to abandoned mines including adits, shafts, and portal...