Abandoned Mine Reclamation Glossary

The financial analysis and projection of expenses required to reclaim, remediate, and monitor an abandoned mine site to...

Specific measurable standards that must be achieved before a mine site can be considered successfully reclaimed and rele...

A regulatory mechanism requiring mining operators to establish monetary reserves or financial instruments sufficient to...

The legal and financial obligation of a mining operator to reclaim and monitor a site after mine abandonment or at end o...

A comprehensive financial and technical evaluation of future environmental obligations, monitoring costs, and remedial a...

A quantitative accounting of all incoming and outgoing materials during mine reclamation, including waste rock, ore stoc...

A financial guarantee, typically required by regulatory agencies, that ensures sufficient funds exist for a mining compa...

Systematic collection and analysis of environmental and physical data following mine closure to verify reclamation objec...

A comprehensive document outlining the specific methods and procedures for safely decommissioning and rehabilitating a m...

The adherence to regulatory requirements, technical standards, and company commitments outlined in a mine's closure plan...

Comprehensive written records detailing the objectives, methods, timeline, and success criteria for returning an abandon...

The practice of mixing and disposing of different types of mine waste materials together in a single location.

Waste material from coal processing operations containing low-grade coal, rock, and processing residues. Often forms lar...

A structured approach to involving local stakeholders, Indigenous peoples, and affected residents in mine reclamation pl...

The practice of conducting restoration activities simultaneously with ongoing mining operations rather than waiting unti...

An engineered shallow basin or channel planted with aquatic vegetation and lined with permeable substrates (often limest...

The natural or engineered reduction in concentration, mobility, or toxicity of contaminants as they migrate through soil...

The evaluation of how readily heavy metals and other pollutants in mine-impacted soil can be absorbed by organisms or le...

The likelihood that toxic metals, salts, or organic compounds will dissolve and migrate from mine waste materials into s...

A hydrogeological and geochemical evaluation determining how rapidly and far pollutants from mines migrate through soil...

An evaluation process that identifies the potential for harmful substances to migrate through soil, groundwater, or surf...

The three-dimensional zone of contaminated groundwater that originates from a mine site source and migrates through subs...

The process of mapping the spatial extent and concentration distribution of pollutants in groundwater or soil at abandon...

The movement and spread of dissolved contaminants through groundwater systems from a pollution source, controlled by gro...