miner’s moss n.— «Metal grids and perforations weed out the rocks and large chunks of dirt, while black plastic ridges capture many of the heavy gold flakes. The runoff flows onto a jumble of what looks like plastic vermicelli. The so...
valley fill n.— «Mountaintop removal is just what the name suggests. Peaks are cleared of trees. Giant steam shovels then scrape away the topsoil. The rock beneath is blasted away until the coal is exposed. Some blasts have lopped as much...
Panamax n.—Gloss: a cargo ship built to be small enough to go through the Panama Canal. «The ships are bound for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. (Very little Australian coal goes to China.) The bigger ones are called “Capies”...
Capie n.— «The ships are bound for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. (Very little Australian coal goes to China.) The bigger ones are called “Capies” to distinguish them from the smaller Panamax ships that can fit through the...
spherical bastard n.— «He reputedly derided the astronomers at Mount Wilson Observatory as “spherical bastards” because they looked like bastards from any side.» —“Mining for Dark Matter” by Guy...
Aspenize v.— «The development group feels Whittlesey stands as the key to a successful tourist industry if mining fails. Their aim is to “Aspenize” the town and preserve the atmosphere of a northern Wisconsin community...