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Vocabulary

The mining industry uses many terms and vocabulary, the meaning of which is not always known. In this paper and on our website, we collected the mentioned terms used in the field. If you are still wondering about something, please feel free to contact us.

Diorite:
Waste rock at Hannukainen. Grey rock resembling granite.
Restoration:
Restoration is a method for speeding up the restoration of locations affected by human activities to their natural state, or as close to it as possible.
Flocculation agent:
A chemical used to gather even the smallest solid particles into bigger clusters, whereby solid material can be made to settle and separate at the bottom of a liquid.
Grinding:
Part of the concentration process, wherein material is ground into separate minerals. Usually takes place in drum-like, revolving mill units.
Drill core:
A bedrock sample obtained from drilling.
Mining district:
A restricted area under the previous mining act, within which all mining operations occur; mining concession under the current legislation.
Skarn:
Host rock at Hannukainen Historically a Swedish term: differs from the surrounding gneiss rocks, nowadays a carbonate-containing dark rock.
Multiplicative effect:
A cumulative change in national income, employment and consumption.
Solid matter:
The amount of solid matter represents the particulate matter in water. In river water, the solid matter content varies significantly. Solid matter content is at its lowest in winter and at its highest before the first flood peak. In the summer, the solid matter migration is usually minor.
Xanthate:
A collector chemical by means of which mineral is made to stick to an air bubble in flotation and thus separate them from other solids.
Copper-gold concentrate:
The second product of the Hannukainen mine, with a copper content of approximately 25 %, gold content approximately 8g/t.
Reverse osmosis:
The reverse osmosis method uses pressure to force water to penetrate a membrane, only allowing water molecules to penetrate. Foreign matter cannot pass the membrane.
Magnetic separation:
A process stage in which magnetic material is separated from the rest of the material flow. Usually used in iron ore concentration, such as separating iron ore from waste rocks.
Magnetite skarn:
Ore rock at Hannukainen, host rock of iron. The highest iron content.
Ore:
Economically exploitable mineralisation.
Mineral:
Element found in nature in solid form, or an inorganic compound with a regular crystal structure.
Mineralisation:
The concentration in nature of one or more economically valuable mineral.
Monzonite:
Red rock, resembling granite waste rock at Hannukainen.
Process water:
Water circulated in the material treatment process.
Fresh water:
Water that can be used for process stages requiring particularly high-quality water.
Barren rock:
See waste rock.
Concentrate:
The end product of a concentration plant, which mineral content is concentrated to desired levels. Concentrate has economic value.
Concentration:
A method by means of which the content of valuable minerals is enhanced to the desired level.
Tailings:
A residual resource of the concentration plant, generated in the concentration process, and not containing valuable minerals. Tailings are placed in ponds built by damming, where the aqueous sand slurry descends to the bottom of the pond and water is released for circulation to be reused in the concentration plant process.
Precipitation:
Precipitation measures the water, which has fallen in various forms, on an area within a particular time. Precipitation includes rain water, snow, sleet, and hail.
Screening:
Sorting of solid matter according to grain size.
Filtering:
Process stage removing water from a slurry thus obtaining a dryer solid matter/concentrate.
Waste rock:
Worthless rock separated in the mine from the actual ore suitable for further processing.
By-product (industrial):
Material created in production, which can be productised and further processed for practical use.
Sulphate:
General term for the salts of sulphuric acid.
Flotation:
A method of concentration, in which the desired solid matter can be induced to attach to air bubbles and thus separate from other solid matter.
Water circulation:
Water is circulated back into production processes.