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A
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Accession number
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order in which specimen is acquired
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Acidic rock
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silicic rock, having high content of silica
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Alloy
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mixture of metals
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Amalgamatio
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recovery of cold or silver by use of mercury
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Arenaceous rock
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rock containing sand
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Assay wall
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mineralized rock surrounding vein
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Base metal
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common metal, excluding iron and its alloys
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Basic rock
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rock having high content of iron and magnesium, low silica content
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Black sand
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sand containing metallic minerals
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Breccia
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rock composed of angular or broken fragments
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Caliche
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deposit of nitrate fertilizer in chile
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Cementation
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deposition of mineral matter between rock fragments
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Clastic rock
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sedimentary rock consisting of fragments, aka: detrital rock
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Color
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particle of placer gold
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Concentration
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separation of valuable mineral or rock from waste
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Country rock
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unmineralized rock surrounding ore
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Cross cut
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mine tunnel intersecting vein
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Diagnostic mineral
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mineral indicating the geologic environment
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Dike
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tabular body of igneous rock cutting across older rock
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Dredge
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a motorized pontuned unit that floats on the surface of the water. Has a suction hose that sucks up gravel from the stream bed and runs them across the sluice
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Drift
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mine tunnel parallel to vein
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Dump
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pile of waste rock discarded in mining
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Extrusive rock
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igneous rock formed upon the surface
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Field classification
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classification of rocks by observing them in outcrops
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Filler
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mineral used to add desired properties to manufactured products
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Fineness
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parts per thousand of pure gold in native metal
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Flotation
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recovery of minerals by means of their adherence to chemical forth
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Flour gold
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extremely fine particles of gold
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Flux (borax)
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substance to reduce melting temperature
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Gangue
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waste rock in mineral deposits
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Gloryhole
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mine combining open-cut and underground operations
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Gravel
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loose rock coarser than sand
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Grubstake
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supplies furnished to prospector in return for share in mineral discoveries
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Hydraulicking
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placer mining with jets of water
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Igneous rock
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rock cooled from molten magma or lava
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Iron cross
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twin crystal of pyrite
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Iron hat
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iron oxide outcrop on sulfide vein
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Jig
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equipment for recovering placer minerals
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Karat
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parts per 24 of pure gold in alloy
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Level
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horizontal tunnel in mine
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Lithification
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change of sediment into solid rock
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Milling
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separation of valuable mineral or rock from waste
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Mohs’ scale
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scale of hardness used for minerals
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Mother lode
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principal vein system of a region
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Nugget
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particle of native metal usually large enough to be picked up by hand
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Open cut
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mine in surface opening
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Ore
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rock or mineral deposit yielding a metal profitability
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Overburden
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waste rock overlying mineral or rock deposit
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Persistent mineral
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mineral formed under various geologic conditions
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Pinch & swell
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expansion and contraction of vein
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Playa lake
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intermittent lake in undrained desert basin
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Pocket
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cavity in rock, sometimes containing quantities of gold
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Precious metal
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gold, silver, or platinum
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Pyroclastic rock
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rock broken by volcanic explosion
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Quarry
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open-cut mine for extracting rock
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Raise or stope
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upward working from mine tunnel
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Refining
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purification of metal
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Rocker
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portable piece of equipment used for recovery gold in the 1800’s and today
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Sedimentary rock
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rock deposited as fragments or from solution
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Shaft
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vertical or inclined entry to mine
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Sluice box
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a trough usually 3 to 6 feet long with riffles down the center and Carpet underneath used to trap heavy metals that are shoveled into them.
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Smelting
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reducing ore to metal in a funacs
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Specific gravity
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relative weight of a substance compared to water
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Stratification
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layers of sedimentary rock in layers according to size and weight
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Streak
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color of powdered mineral
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Streak plate
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unglazed porcelain used to test streak
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Strip mining
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recovery of overburden and rock from flat deposit near surface
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Till
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unsorted glacial deposit
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Vein
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stringer of ore in rock
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Winze
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a passageway to permit downward working from mine tunnel
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