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D
decommissioning - (4) process by which a mining
operation is shut down.
deionized water - (4) chemically or electrochemically purified
water used in chemical analysis to avoid contamination of the materials
being tested.
desert pavement - (3) a desert ground surface of thin, smooth,
or sheetlike, wind-polished, closely packed pebbles, boulders, gravel,
and other rock fragments, where wind and sheetwash have removed
all small particles. These fragments are commonly cemented by mineralized
solution.
detritus - (3) a non-dissolved product of the disintigration
or wearing away of organic or inorganic matter.
dewatering - (3) the process of pumping large amounts of
ground water from wells to lower the water table over a large area
to allow an open pit or underground mine to operate in dry conditions.
(4) the process of removing water from an underground mine or open
pit, or from the surrounding rock or non-lithified materials. The
term is also commonly used for the reduction of water content in
concentrates, tailings and treatment sludges.
diamond drill - (4) a rotary type of rock drill in which
cutting is done by abrasion rather than percussion. The cutting
bit is set with diamonds and is attached to the end of long, hollow
rods through which water is pumped to the cutting face. The drill
cuts a core of rock that is recovered in long cylindrical
sections, 2 cm or more in diameter.
digestion - (4) the process of dissolving and breaking down
chemical compounds and mineral into an aqueous solution. See also
aqua-regia.
dilution - (4) to diminish the concentration by mixing one
mass with another. For example, the mixing of one flow of water
with another flow to obtain a flow with intermediate aqueous concentration.
This process is used to reduce the concentration of metals or other
potentially harmful contaminants in the more concentrated flow.
Dispersion mechanisms include turbulent flow in a river or a creek,
or currents and wind generated mixing in lakes.
dip - (4) the angle at which a structure or rock bed is
inclined from the horizontal as measured at right angles to the
strike and in the vertical plane.
disseminated ore - (3) ore carrying small particles of valuable
minerals spread more or less uniformly through the worthless minerals,
as distinct from massive ore, in which valuable materials occur
in almost solid form with little waste material included.
dissolution - (4) the process whereby solid matter dissolves
in a liquid. For example, the dissolving of limestone (calcium carbonate,
CaCO3) in rain or groundwater. See also solubility and leaching.
drawdown, ground water - (3) a lowering of the ground water
surface caused by pumping, measured as the difference between the
original griound water level and the level after a period of pumping.
drift - (2) a horizontal passage underground. A drift follows
the vein, as distinguished from a crosscut, which intersects
it.
dump - (2) a pile or heap of waste rock material or other
non-ore refuse near a mine.
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