A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W Direct Access : Choose the term Absorption Airway Area of influence ASP Attack-filtration Belt Belt conveyor Blasting Boring BPL Bucket Bulk sampling Calcination Chemical characteristics Clean up/Renovation Combustion Concentration Conversion Cover Cubic content Cuttings Dam DAP Dragline Drilling pattern Dry & marketable ton Dry beneficiation Drying Exploration Extraction Flotation Forewinning Grindability Grinding H2SO4 Hopper HRS Interlayer Line Lithology MAP Mass flow Mine Mine water Mining Mining operations Mining site Moisture Natural flow NPK Operator Openings Open-pit Ore Ore processing Ore reserves Organic soil Outcrop Overburden P2O5 Phosphogypsum Physical properties Pillar mining Pit-head Probable reserves Processing Processing plant Proven reserves Reclamation Recette Reconnaissance Rehabilitation Removal Reserves Resources Run-of-mine Sample Shearer Slag heap Slope Sludge S02 SO3 SSP STPP Stripping Support infrastructures Transportation infrastructures TSP Unwatering Ventilation Volume flow Washing Waste rock Wharf Winning A   Absorption One of the steps in the sulphuric acid process. Absorption consists in mixing sulphur trioxyde with water in absorption towers to obtain a 98-99% sulphuric acid solution. Airway A horizontal or slightly sloping underground passage intended mainly for airflow. Area of influence Area covered by the information collected through a reconnaissance operation (drilling, shaft, etc). ASP Ammoniated Sulfo-Phosphate. Attack-filtration One of the stages in the phosphoric acid manufacturing process. Crushed phosphate is attacked by 98.5%-concentrated sulphuric acid and medium phosphoric acid (18 to 22% P2O5) in aqueous mediums. The mixture becomes slurry, the filtration of which consists in separating 29% P2O5 phosphoric acid from phosphogypsum through a rotary filter. B Belt One of the elements of conveyor belts, it is composed of a textile or metal carcass and rubber coating. Belt conveyor A material haulage machine composed of a metal framework (girders, tubes and sometimes cables), supporting rollers on which an endless belt moves. Also called conveyor belt and band conveyor. Blasting Shaking rock mass with explosive. Boring Making holes in the rock mass in order to place explosives. BPL Bone Phosphate of Lime. Bucket A trough-shaped metal receptacle which, by its filling, ensures the extracting function of a handling or loading machine. Bulk sampling Sampling of more than 50 metric tons of mineral substances. C Calcination A phosphate beneficiation process that consists in subjecting the ore to heat (over 700°C) in order to eliminate the organic matters it contains. Chemical characteristics Chemical features that define material: pH, alkalinity, acidity, adsorption, nutrients, exchangeable cation, chemical composition, acid mining drainage, metal, mineral and chemical compound content, etc. Clean up/Renovation Work on a former mining site to improve its environmental integration (Re-cultivation after backfilling, ground levelling and spreading topsoil, creation of artificial lakes after bank stabilization, etc.). Combustion One of the stages in the sulphuric acid manufacturing process. Combustion consists in burning sulphur in a furnace to obtain sulphur dioxide (SO2). Concentration One of the stages in the phosphoric acid manufacturing process. The aim of phosphoric acid concentration is to allow water evaporation and obtain an acid with 54% P2O5. Conversion One of the stages in the sulphuric acid manufacturing process. Conversion consists in combining sulphur dioxide with oxygen in a converter to produce sulphur trioxide (SO3). Cover Soil cover comprising a multi-layer system with or without vegetation, a damp barrier or any other contaminant containment process. Cubic content Measurement of the volume of a phosphate rock or fertilizer stockpile. Cuttings Fragments of disaggregated rock. D Dam A structure intended to contain mining tailings and water resulting from mining activities. DAP Di-ammonium phosphate. Dragline Pivoting excavation machine with a bucket carried by a boom: the bucket is raised by a hoisting winch and is filled by means of another winch. It moves using either crawlers or track shoes, according to its size. Drilling pattern A simple drawing showing the location or impact points of a regular sequence of drill holes, theoretically parallel. Such pattern is defined by its geometric shape and dimensions. Dry & marketable ton A ton phosphate rock as it would be delivered to the customer. Dry beneficiation A treatment unit making particle sizing by dry process. Drying A phosphate beneficiation process in which excess moisture of the product is removed by evaporation. E Exploration Mining activity aimed at discovering deposits or evaluating them (feasibility study); includes development work on the mineral deposits. Extraction The act of extracting ore, waste rock or tailings from an underground or open-pit mine. The word “extraction” also refers to the treatment process by which a substance to be concentrated or eliminated is extracted from solids, liquids or gases. F Flotation An industrial process used to beneficiate the lowest BPL content phosphate ore which has not been developed so far. Forewinning A phosphate underground mining method. Forewinning is carried out using cutters-loaders (tunnel-boring machines). G Grindability Ability of a material to undergo mechanical fragmentation. It can be measured by the power consumed in the operation. Grinding One of the stages in the phosphoric acid manufacturing process. Grinding phosphate rock aims at increasing the mineral surface attacked by sulphuric acid. H H2SO4 Sulphuric acid Hopper Tank from which the product empties through the lower part and where materials are stored to feed a machine or is used as a relay between continuous or discontinuous transportation systems. HRS Stands for Heat Recovery System. A system included in certain sulphuric acid production lines. I Interlayer A continuous barren zone inside a mineral formation. L Line A word used to indicate a connection by conveyor belt. Lithology Nature of the rocks composing a rock formation. Study of their composition, texture, cohesion, faults, structures, genesis and evolution. M MAP Mono-ammonium phosphate. Mass flow The mass of a fluid which crosses a given area in a unit time (Kg/s). Mine Any opening or excavation made for the purpose of searching for or mining mineral substances or operating an underground reservoir, including passageways, works, machinery, plants, buildings and furnaces below or above ground and forming part of a mining operation. Mine water Water pumped from a mining excavation to keep structures dry. Mining Extracting, concentrating, smelting or refining mineral substances from a mining deposit. Mining operations Activities aimed at increasing or mining mineral resources including prospecting, exploration, bulk sampling, ore extraction, ore processing and tailings process. Mining site Any land that is or could be used for exploration or mining. Moisture State of what is wet. Also, water that is visible on the surface of rock. N Natural flow Pre-mining activity flow. NPK Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potash. O Operator Any person who, as owner, lessee or occupant of a mine or underground reservoir, performs or directs mining operations, or causes them to be performed or directed. Openings Shafts, chutes, adits, ramps, underground worksites with surface openings and all other means of access to underground structures. Open-pit Opencast mining, where horizontal extension is dominating, compared to the depth. The method used is simultaneous horizontal trenches (as opposed to "pit"). It also refers, by extension, to any open working. Ore Rock mass containing valuable minerals in sufficient concentrations and volumes to justify mining. Ore processing Operation which consists in extracting marketable substances from ore, concentrate or tailings. Ore reserves Mineral reserves for an existing mining activity or for a deposit for which mining is being considered and is deemed profitable based on a feasibility study. Organic soil Soil rich in plant debris and products from decomposition. The organic component and structure is in large part due to vegetation content. Outcrop A line marking the junction of a phosphate layer with topographic surface. Overburden Unproductive soil covering productive areas or bedrock (see “Cover”). P P2O5 Phosphorous pentoxide. Phosphogypsum By-product of fertilizer manufacturing. Physical properties Physical features that define material: colour, structure (capillary and noncapillary porosity), permeability of compacted soil, air and water content, compressibility, plasticity, cohesion, consistence, swell, capillarity, hardness, particle size, texture, porosity, etc. Pillar mining A phosphate underground mining method. Mechanized pillaring is carried out by longwalls. Pit-head Area where office and maintenance buildings, as well as equipment and mined product storage, are grouped together. Also called ‘mine yard’. Probable reserves Mineral deposit whose continuity is assured and proven by drilling and sampling on a relatively large but regular mesh. Mesh density helps to establish volume, boundaries, mass, and grade accurately enough to plan preliminary mining. Processing Phosphate rock processing into finished or semi-finished products (phosphoric acid or fertilizers). Processing plant upgrading ore, recovering metals or concentrating valuable minerals for treatment. Proven reserves boundaries, mass, and grade are known in detail from drilling and sampling on close and regular meshes and from mining and systematic, specific and bulk sampling. Access to the ore and information are sufficient for making detailed mining plans. R Reclamation Reorganization of a former mining site for other purposes (See “Rehabilitation”). Recette Underground operation unit. Reconnaissance Deposit survey intended to specify its geological, geometrical and geomechanical characteristics. Rehabilitation Operation consisting of restoring a mining site to a satisfactory condition (See “Reclamation”). Removal The act of loading and carrying phosphate ore. Reserves Mineral deposit for which a feasibility study has proven and established characteristics such as mass, grade, crystallography, size, limits, distribution and variability. Data is explicit enough to establish potential profitability. The feasibility study must justify the investments needed to mine this deposit. Resources Estimated quantity of useful substances. Reserves and resources are divided in various categories according to the degree of reconnaissance or profitability. Run-of-mine Material as extracted from the deposit, a mix of ore and waste rock which the operator could not separate. S Sample A portion of a lot of mineral, rock, fluid, etc., taken to be studied with a view to drawing information on the whole lot. A sample can only be representative if it results from a precise sampling operation. Shearer A mechanical seam cutter that digs a groove by means of a milling cutter made of a drum fitted with picks, or an arm holding a chain fitted with picks. Slag heap A heap of waste rock, generally conical, made up by limited dumping. Slope Sloping areas, 10° to 40°, especially those located below a smaller slope, waste rock or backfill. Usually refers to unconsolidated deposits. Sludge Fine water-laden material resulting from effluent processing or mine drainage sedimentation. S02 Sulphur dioxide. SO3 Sulphur trioxide. SSP Single superphosphate. STPP Sodium tripolyphosphate. Stripping Removal of the layer covering phosphated layers. Support infrastructures Any necessary structure needed for mining activities, including buildings, gas and water pipes, waterworks and sewer systems, telephone cables and reservoirs, either underground or on the surface. T Transportation infrastructures Systems and structures that constitute the transportation network, i.e. roads, railways, airports, bridges, culverts and ditches. TSP Triple superphosphate. U Unwatering Draining water off the area to be mined. The term also means drainage of water having accidentally flooded the excavation or any mining work. V Ventilation Ventilation of underground operations. This action is performed to make air circulate in the drives and stopes. Volume flow The volume of a fluid which crosses a given area in a unit time (m3/s). W Washing A step in phosphate beneficiation. It consists in the "attrition" of phosphate in water, the aim being to destroy ore carbonate gangue, thus releasing the phosphate elements. Waste rock Mined rock or natural rock containing insufficient minerals to be mining for profit. Wharf Port facility in Laayoune. This 3,200-meter long structure made of prefabricated units has the shape of a large bridge thrown over the sea. Winning A technique used to excavate ore from an underground or open pit operation.