opencast mining

British

/ ˈəʊpənˌkɑːst /

noun

Also called: strip mining. open-cut mining. mining by excavating from the surface

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of opencast mining

C18: from _open + archaic cast ditch or cutting

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At former US mining group National Coal, the crisis it faced was repeated protests in the early 2000s by environmentalists who objected to its opencast mining in east Tennessee.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2017

Councillors in East Ayrshire are due to discuss a damning report on the way the local authority handled opencast mining projects in the area.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2014

It would have breached guidelines which say opencast mining should take place at least 500m from homes.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2013

Much of it is now imported, the rest comes from opencast mining.

From BBC • May 9, 2013

On the Yangtse, where there is opencast mining, I saw 220 peasants hacking iron ore out of an open hillside and breaking it to pieces with hammers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023