Reference: Dictionary of Terms
The contractor currently in charge of Care & Maintenance, Denison Environmental Consulting, produces a quarterly newsletter. To view, click here.
A
Acid Drainage
Any drainage from mine workings, waste or tailings with pH levels below 7. May also refer to groundwater pumped to the surface from the mine.
Acid Rock Drainage
Acid-generating waste rock and tailings are commonly referred to as acid rock draining or ARD. During mining, rock is disturbed and metals contained in the rock become exposed to oxygen and the environment. This can lead to the creation of an acidic environment which can be transported by water.
Adaptive Management
Monitoring and evaluating a reclaimed area followed by any necessary actions to achieve intended results. Adaptive management also allows information to be fed back into the planning and design process so future reclaimed areas will fulfill desired results.
Aquatic Environment
All organic and inorganic matter and living organisms and their habitats that are related to, live or are located in or on the water at the beds of shores of a water body.
Aquifer
A layer of permeable rock that can store significant quantities of water through which groundwater moves.
Assessment
A written evaluation regarding the importance, size or value of a particular thing.
B
Backfill
Material excavated from a site and reused for filling the surface or underground void created by mining.
Background
An area near the site under evaluation not influenced by chemicals released from the site, or other impacts created by onsite activity.
Background Concentration
The concentration of an element or any chemical property of a naturally occurring mineral in an area where concentration is irregular.
Baseline
A surveyed condition and reference used for future surveys.
Bedrock
Solid rock under soil, gravel or loose boulders.
Berm
A mound or wall, usually of earth, used to retain substances or to prevent substances from entering an area.
Biodiversity
The variety of plants and animals that live in a specific area.
Bioremediation
The use of micro-organisms or vegetation to reduce contaminant levels in soil or water.
Borrow Pit
A source of fill or embanking material.
C
Claim
A portion of land held under the federal or local laws by one claimant or an association by virtue of location and record. In Canada, the common size is 1,320 sq.ft. or 40 acres. (Approximately 400 m2 or 16 hectares.)
Clean Fill
Uncontaminated material used for site development or to replace excavated contaminated materials in remediation and reclamation.
Concentration
Separating a mineral from its host rock in preparation for further processing. Also the amount of a chemical or substance in the air, soil or water.
Contaminant
Any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance in the air, soil or water that has an adverse effect. Any chemical substance with a concentration that exceeds background levels or which is not naturally occurring in the environment.
Contaminated Site
A site at which substances occur in amounts above what would be natural and pose, or likely will pose, a hazard to human health or the environment, or exceeds levels specified in policies and regulations.
Contouring
The process of shaping the land surface to fit the form of the surrounding land.
Cover
The area of ground covered by all living and dead plant material that is produced naturally on a site. Also known as ground cover, canopy cover or aerial cover. Bare soil is not cover.
Cumulative Effects
The combined environmental impacts that accumulate over time and space as a result of a series of similar or related actions or activities.
D
Decommissioning
The process of permanently closing a site and removing equipment, buildings and structures. Rehabilitation and plans for future maintenance of affected land and water are also included.
Decontamination
The removal, reduction, or neutralization of substances, wastes or hazardous material from a site in order to prevent or minimize any adverse effects on the environment now or in the future.
Deposit
An accumulation of sediments, minerals, ore, etc.
Development
Work carried out for the purposes of exposing and working a mineral deposit.
Devolution
The transfer of lands previously under the management of the Northern Affairs Program of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to the Yukon government. Devolution of these responsibilities took place on April 1, 2003.
Devolution Transfer Agreement
Details the responsibilities and obligations associated with the transfer of resources previously under the management of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) to the Yukon government.
Disposal
The relocation, containment, treatment or processing of unwanted materials. This may involve the removal of contaminants or their conversion to less harmful forms.
Diversion
An artificial or “human-made” channel that changes the natural course of a creek or a stream.
Drainage
The removal of excess surface water or groundwater from land by natural runoff and permeation, or by surface or subsurface drains.
Drainage Basin
Area tributary to (or draining to) a lake, stream, reservoir or other body of water.
E
Ecosystem
A community of plants, animals and non-living things that exist in the same place.
Effluent
Treated or untreated liquid waste material that is discharged into the environment from a structure such as a settling pond or a treatment pond.
End Land Use
The allowable use of disturbed land following reclamation. Municipal zoning and/or approval may be required for specific land uses.
Environmental Assessment
Examination of a development proposal’s environmental, social and economic effects.
Environmental Degradation
Any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be harmful or undesirable.
Environmental Hazards
Any biological, chemical, or physical agents found in or transmitted through the air, water, food, soil, or manufactured items that may adversely affect the physical and psycho-social health or well-being of the public.
Erosion
The wearing away of rock, soil or other surface material by water, rain, waves, wind or ice; the process may be accelerated by human activities.
Excavation
Cutting or digging the earth’s surface altering the original landscape by make a hole or a hollow (pit).
Exploration
Prospecting, sampling, mapping, drilling and other work involved in searching for and locating a deposit.
Extraction
Digging up and removing resources that are used for specific purposes.
F
Fill (Backfill)
Depth to which material is to be placed (filled) to bring the surface to a predetermined grade. Can also be the material itself.
Freeboard
The vertical space remaining in a containment structure; the vertical distance between the surface of the water and the top of a dam or dyke.
G
Groundwater
All subsurface water that occurs beneath the water table in rocks and geological formations that are fully saturated.
H
Habitat
The specific area in which a particular type of plant or animal lives.
Hazardous Waste
A waste that contains any substance (solid, liquid or gas) that is harmful or potentially harmful to life or the environment.
Hydrogeology
The study of groundwater with particular emphasis on the chemistry and movement of water.
I
Impermeability
Material through which fluids cannot pass.
Impervious
Resistant to penetration by fluids or roots.
Indicator Minerals or Plants
Trace minerals that are typically found near other minerals as well as plants characteristic of specific soil or site conditions.
Infiltration (percolation/Runoff)
Downward water movement into soil.
L
Landforms
The various shapes of the land surface resulting from a variety of actions such as deposition or sedimentation, erosion and earth crust movements.
Landscape
All the natural features such as fields, hills, forests, water, that distinguish one part of the earth’s surface from another. Usually that portion of land or territory which the eye can see in a single view.
Land Use Planning
The development of plans for the uses of land that, over long periods, will best serve the general good, together with the formulation of ways and means for achieving such uses.
Leaching
Occurs when a liquid (for example, water) passes through a substance picking up some of the material and carrying it to other places. This can happen underground in solid rock or above ground through piles of material.
M
Metal
A group of elements possessing certain qualities including metallic luster, malleability, ductility, high specific gravity and good conductivity of heat and electricity.
Base Metal – relatively inexpensive metals such as copper, lead and zinc.
Heavy Metal – base metals that commonly occur in urban and industrial pollution.
Precious Metal – relatively expensive metals such as gold, silver and platinum.
Milling
The process used to separate metals from ore.
Mine
Any open surface or subsurface excavation for the purpose of extracting various substances by drilling, blasting, cutting, etc.
Mineral
Any class of naturally occurring solid, inorganic substances with a characteristic crystalline form and the same chemical composition.
Mitigation
Reducing the negative impacts of a particular land use or activity on the environment.
Monitoring
Observing the change in geophysical, hydrogeological or geochemical measurements over time.
O
Open Pit Mine
Any open surface excavation for the extraction of minerals/ore by drilling, blasting or cutting.
Ore
Rock that contains sufficient quantities of metals or other minerals to allow profitable extraction.
Overburden
Material of any nature, including loose soil, sand, gravel, that lies above bedrock or a deposit.
P
Permafrost
Ground (soil or rock) that remains at or below 0°C for at least two years.
pH
A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution ranging from 0 – 14, with 7 representing neutral solutions. Alkaline has a pH grater that 7; and an acidic solution has a pH below 7.
Permeability
The ease with which gases, liquids, or plant roots penetrate or pass through soil or a layer of soil. The rate of permeability depends upon the composition of the soil.
Pit
A large hole created when ore and waste rock is removed from the ground.
Pollutant
A contaminant that negatively affects the physical, chemical or geological properties of the environment.
Potable Water
Water that is safe for human consumption.
Polishing Pond
The last in a series of settling ponds where mill effluent, final sedimentation, or contaminant remediation takes place.
R
Reclamation
The process of converting disturbed land to its former or other productive uses.
Regulatory Authority
The person or group responsible for issuing licenses, permits or other authorizations required for development under any federal or territorial law. This excludes designated regulatory agencies or local government.
Remediation
The removal, reduction or neutralization of substances, wastes or hazardous material from a site so as to prevent or minimize adverse effects on the environment or public safety.
Restoration
The renewing, repairing, cleaning-up, remediation or other management of soil, groundwater or sediment so that its functions and qualities are comparable to those of its original, unaltered state.
Revegetation
Replacing original ground cover following a disturbance to the land.
Risk Assessment
Reviewing the risk analysis and options. Risk Assessment considers such factors as risk acceptability, public perception of risk, socio-economic impacts, benefits, and technical feasibility. It forms the basis for risk management.
Risk Management
Selecting and implementing a strategy that will control risk. This also includes monitoring and evaluating its effectiveness to ensure the desired outcomes.
Runoff
Water that is not absorbed by soil and drains off the land into bodies of water.
S
Sample
A small portion of the environment (water, soil, sludge/emulsion, air, biota, mineral) that is taken to a lab and analyzed to learn about the physical and/or chemical composition of that environment.
Sampling
A technique used to obtain a representative sample for the purpose of determining the physical and/or chemical characteristics of a particular environment.
Scarification (Soil)
Seedbed preparation to make a site more amenable to plant growth.
Sediment
Solid material, both mineral and organic, that has been moved by air, water, gravity, or ice and has come to rest on the earth’s surface either above or below sea level.
Seepage
(1) The slow flow of water into or from a soil. Seepage usually involves the lateral flow of water.
(2) The emergence of water from the soil over an extensive area in contrast to a spring where it emerges from a local spot.
Settling Pond
A natural or artificial water body used to contain wastewater where solids are removed before it is released to the natural environment.
Solubility
The ability of a substance to dissolve in a liquid.
Sump
An underground catch basin in a mine where water accumulates before being pumped to the surface.
Suspended Solids
Organic and inorganic particles, including sand, silt, clay particles and solids in waste water, that are suspended in and carried away by water.
T
Tailings
Material rejected from a mill after most of the recoverable valuable minerals have been extracted.
Tailings Pond
A low lying depression used to confine tailings, the prime function of which is to allow enough time for heavy metals to settle out or for cyanide to be destroyed before water is discharged into the local watershed.
Threshold
The point at which the total load of accumulated stress on the ecosystem exceeds the system’s ability to accommodate change. The results in a fundamental shift in the system.
Topography
The shape of the ground surface, such as hills, mountains, or plains. Steep topography indicates steep slopes or hilly land; flat topography indicates flat land with minor undulations and gentle slopes.
Toxic
Describes a substance, dose or concentration that is harmful to living organisms.
W
Waste Rock
Rock of little economic value that must be removed to access the ore.
Waste Treatment
Any method, technique, or process designed to change the physical, chemical and/or biological character or composition of a substance. This also includes naturalization and stabilization.
Water Quality
A measure of the condition of the water relative to a species’ needs.
Water Quality Standards
Fixed limits of certain chemical, physical and biological parameters in a water body. Standards may vary depending on use.
Watershed
A region or area bordered by ridges of higher ground that drains into a particular watercourse or body of water.
Water Table
The level below where the ground is saturated with water.
Definitions provided by:
-
DIAND “NWT Mining-Related and Environmental Management Glossary.”
-
Type II Joint Office (Type II Mines Project Office, INAC, and Assessment and Abandoned Mines Branch, Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources).