open-pit

[ oh-puhn-pit ]

adjective

, Mining.

1. noting or pertaining to a type of surface mining in which massive, usually metallic mineral deposits are removed by cutting benches in the walls of a broad, deep funnel-shaped excavation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of open-pit¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Giant trucks the size of townhouses, capable of hauling 300 tonnes, criss-cross red-earth roads in various sections of this open-pit mine complex.

From BBC

Soon, I saw what has drawn so many to Clifton over the last 150 years: one of the world’s largest open-pit copper mines.

From Los Angeles Times

"Jaguar habitat is threatened by proposed open-pit mines, transportation infrastructure and other massive developments as well as the growing threat of insurmountable border barriers," McSpadden told Salon.

From Salon

Dr. Terberger was team leader of a study published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that provided the first comprehensive report on the wooden objects excavated from 1994 to 2008 in the peat of an open-pit coal mine near Schöningen, in northern Germany.

From New York Times

He says the open-pit mine, situated 500m from his doorstep, blights people's lives by using explosives to blast away at the rock two or three times per week.

From BBC