open-pit

American  

[oh-puhn-pit] / ˈoʊ pənˌpɪt /

adjective

Mining.

1. noting or pertaining to a type of surface mining in which massive, usually metallic mineral deposits are removed by cutting benches in the walls of a broad, deep funnel-shaped excavation.

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Etymology

Origin of open-pit

First recorded in 1910–15

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open-pit

Hudbay says Copper World is one of the highest-grade open-pit copper projects in the Americas, with proven and probable mineral reserves of 390 million tons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

A Panamanian government commission on Wednesday recommended that President Jose Raul Mulino reactivate Central America's largest open-pit copper mine, a Canadian-owned operation that was shut down in 2023 following widespread protests.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

In the 1920s, a modest mercury mine grew into a large open-pit operation, contaminating the watershed with the toxic metal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Canada Nickel plans an open-pit mine with the capacity to produce roughly 240,000 metric tons of ore a day and mill with input capacity of 120,000 tons daily, all operating for about 41 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Rock and dirt slides of all kinds, met with in open-pit mining, canals, and other excavations, present engineering problems with a geologic basis.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by C. K. (Charles Kenneth) Leith

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