Hardrock refers to dense, solid rock formations, typically igneous or metamorphic, that host metallic minerals like gold, copper, zinc, and nickel. It is distinguished from soft rock mining, which targets coal, salt, or oil sands in sedimentary basins. Extracting hardrock requires heavy drilling, explosives, and intensive crushing and milling circuits.
Heard on the job
He spent twenty years underground in the hardrock mines of the Canadian shield.
Related terms
Metalliferous
Containing economically viable quantities of metallic elements.
Comminution
The mechanical process of reducing solid ore into smaller particles.
Stoping
The process of extracting ore from an underground orebody, leaving behind an open void.
Country
The general mass of barren rock surrounding a mineral vein or orebody.