Abandoned Mine Reclamation Glossary
743 terms total — 18 showing — Last updated 26 Oct 2026
Closure Financial Assurance
A regulatory mechanism requiring mining operators to establish monetary reserves or financial instruments sufficient to fund complete reclamation and long-term site management. The assurance amount is calculated based on detailed closure cost estimates and is held in escrow or bonded accounts.
Acid Rock Drainage (ARD)
The oxidation of sulfide minerals exposed during mining that produces sulfuric acid and dissolved metals, creating highl...
ARD Prevention
Preventive measures implemented during mine closure to minimize or eliminate the generation of acid rock drainage by iso...
effluent quality standards
Regulatory limits on chemical concentrations and physical properties of water discharged from mine reclamation sites, es...
geotechnical hazard assessment
A comprehensive evaluation of physical and geological risks at abandoned mines, including slope instability, subsidence...
Hardrock Mine Closure
The comprehensive process of decommissioning metallic mineral operations including ore processing facilities, waste rock...
Hazardous Material Inventory
A comprehensive documented record of all potentially dangerous substances present at an abandoned mine site, including h...
Hazardous Waste Characterization
The systematic analytical process of identifying and quantifying contaminants in mine waste materials to determine regul...
Hazardous Waste Encapsulation
The containment of hazardous mine-related wastes (such as arsenic, lead, or other toxic compounds) within engineered bar...
long-term stewardship
The ongoing responsibility and care for reclaimed mine sites extending beyond the active remediation period.
Long-term stewardship plan
A legally binding document outlining post-closure management activities, monitoring requirements, maintenance schedules,...
Mine Collapse Hazard
The risk that underground mine workings will fail structurally, potentially causing ground subsidence, sudden sinkholes,...
Mine subsidence hazard assessment
A systematic evaluation of the probability and potential impacts of ground collapse or settlement caused by underground...
performance standards
Specific measurable criteria that reclaimed mine sites must achieve to demonstrate successful restoration and qualify fo...
Reclamation Performance Standard
Quantifiable environmental and physical criteria established by regulatory agencies that reclaimed mine sites must achie...
revegetation success standards
Quantitative criteria used to determine whether vegetation establishment on reclaimed mine sites meets regulatory requir...
Subsidence Hazard Mitigation
Engineering and land-use management strategies designed to reduce risks from ground collapse or surface deformation caus...
Topsoil replacement depth standard
The minimum thickness of fertile topsoil material required to be reinstalled across a reclaimed mine site to support veg...
Underground Mine Collapse Hazard Assessment
A systematic evaluation of subsurface voids, structural integrity of mine pillars and roof systems, and probability of c...