open-cut

[ oh-puhn-kuht ]

adjective

, Mining.

1. noting or pertaining to a type of surface mining in which coal and other flat-lying mineral deposits are removed by the excavation of long, narrow trenches.

open cut

noun

1. civil engineering an excavation made in the open rather than in a tunnel See cut-and-cover

Word History and Origins

Origin of open-cut¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

He also helped last year to persuade a judge to recommend against a new open-cut coal project in Queensland state.

From Washington Post

His firm, Central Queensland Coal, had proposed to build an open-cut mine about 700km north-west of Brisbane, that would produce both thermal and coking coal and operate for about 20 years.

From BBC

Minister Plibersek's department agreed, finding sediment and run off from the open-cut mine was likely to damage the Reef and local water resources.

From BBC

The couple lives in the village of Bulga, 14 miles from Singleton on the other side of the Mount Thorley Warkworth open-cut mine.

From Washington Post

But in the 1970s, new technology, including bigger dump trucks, made open-cut mining more competitive.

From Washington Post