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B
BLM - (2) Bureau of Land Management, U. S.
Department of the Interior.
backfill - (3) material used to replace soil
and earth removed during mining. (4) material used to fill voids
created by mining an ore body or coal deposit. Due to the expanded
volume, only a portion of the originally excavated material can
be used as backfill.
backfilling - (3) the replacement of soil and
earth removed during mining.
background level - (3) the amount of pollutant
present in water or air from natural sources.
ball mill - (2) a rotating horizontal cylinder
in which nonmetallic materials are ground using various types of
grinding media, such as quartz pebbles, porcelain balls or steel
balls.
barren solution - (2) leaching solution
resulting from ore benefication that has been chemically
stripped of metal values. Typically, the barren solution is recharged
with leaching agent and recycled. (3) a solution in hydrometalurgical
treatment from which all valuable constituents have been removed.
See also pregnant solution.
basalt - (3) fine-grained, dark-colored igneous
rocks that are either intrusive or extrusive.
base flow - (3) the portion of stream discharge
derived from such natural storage sources as ground water, large
lakes and swamps, but not derived from direct runoff or flow from
stream regulation, water diversion, or other human activities.
base metal - (3) metal inferior in value to
gold and silver, a term generally applied to the commercial metals
such as copper or lead. (4) a general term applied to relatively
less expensive metals such as copper, zinc, nickel, lead, tin, iron
and aluminum, which based on cost can be distinguished from precious
metals (gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) and the alkali
and alkali earth metals. See also heavy metal.
baseline information - (4) information gathered
prior to disturbance. Used to define pre-mining conditions.
basic rock - (4) igneous rock relatively low
in silica and rich in iron, magnesium and/or calcium. One of a number
of geological terms for rock, such as acidic, alkali and ultrabasic,
that describe the relative amount of silica and the predominant
cations. The terms do not imply the presence of acidity or free
bases in the chemical sense.
basic - (4) a term used to describe a water
solution with an excess of hydroxide ions and a pH value greater
than 7. See also pH.
bed load - (3) sediment in a stream that moves
by sliding, rolling, or bounding on or near the streambed
benefication - (2) the processing of ores for
the purpose of: (a) regulating the size of a desired product, (b)
removing unwanted constituents, and (c) improving the quality, purity,
or assay grade of a desired product.
benthic - (3) occuring or living on or near
the bottom of any water body.
bentonite - (3) a clay mineral formed from
the decomposition of volcanic ash. Commonly bentonite can readily
absorb or adsorb water.
best available technology and practices - (3)
the application of the most advanced systems, techniques, procedures,
and controls, determined on a case-by-case basis by the regulatory
agency.
Bevill Amendment - (3) a provision of the 1980
Solid Waste Disposal Act Amendments to the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (RCRA) that exempted from Subtitle C requirements,
the wastes from the extraction and benefication of ores and minerals,
regardless of their chemical composition. The amendment further
directed the US EPA either to develop Subtitle C regulations for
this waste or determine that this exemption should continue, and
to present it's findings in a report to Congress.
bioaccumulation - (4) a process of concentration
or accumulation of an element within a "food chain" of
organisms.
bioavailability - (4) a property of a substance
which makes it accessible and potentially able to affect an organism's
health.
biological diversity (biodiversity) - (3) the
full range of variability within and among living organisms and
the ecological complexes in which they occur. Biological diversity
encompasses ecosystem or community diversity, species diversity,
and genetic diversity.
biological oxygen demand - (3) a measure of
the oxygen used in meeting the metabolic needs of aerobic microorganisms
in water rich in organic matter.
biomass - (3) the total amount of living material,
plants and animals, above and below the soil surface in a biotic
community.
bioremediation - (4) a process to reduce contaminant
levels in soil or water using microorganisms or vegetation.
biotic communities - (3) the assemblage of
native and exotic plants and of a particular site or landscape,
including microoganisms, fungi, algae, vascular and herbaceous plants,
invertebrates, and vertebrates. These assemblages and their biotic
and abiotic relationships serve landscape and watershed functions
by promoting soil properties, supporting water infiltration, recycling
and transfer, species survival, and sustainable population dynamics.
bonanza - (1) the discovery of rich ore.
bore hole - (2) an exploratory or prospecting
hole made by drilling.
buffering capacity - (4) the ability of a substance
to resist an increase or decrease in pH. See also neutralization.
bulkhead - (3) a partition or wall in mines
for protection against gas, fire and water.
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