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strip-mine

[ strip-mahyn ]
/ ˈstrɪpˌmaɪn /
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verb (used with or without object), strip-mined, strip-min·ing.
to excavate by open-cut methods.
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Also strip.

Origin of strip-mine

First recorded in 1925–30

OTHER WORDS FROM strip-mine

strip mine, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Scientific definitions for strip-mine

strip mine
[ strÄ­p ]

An open mine, especially a coal mine, whose seams or outcrops run close to ground level and are exposed by the removal of overlying soil and rock. Strip mining can extract coal covered by as much as 60 m (200 ft) of rock and soil. If the seams roll through hills instead of lying flat, a series of tiers or contours are used to extract the coal or ore. Strip mining has been criticized for being ecologically destructive and for causing pollution of water resources, as the removed soil and rock are often dumped in lower-lying areas. Mining operators are sometimes required to restore soil and vegetation and to clean up the mining site.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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