Stripping ratio
Encyclopedia
In mining
, stripping ratio or strip ratio refers to the ratio of the volume of overburden
(or waste material) required to be removed to the volume of ore recovered. For example, a 3:1 stripping ratio means that mining one cubic meter of ore will require mining three cubic meters of waste rock.
All other factors being equal, mining at a higher stripping ratio is less profitable than mining at a lower stripping ratio because more waste must be moved (at a cost per unit volume) for an equivalent volume of revenue generating ore. If the ratio is too high given a particular price of ore and associated cost of mining then it may not be economical to conduct mining.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, stripping ratio or strip ratio refers to the ratio of the volume of overburden
Overburden
Overburden is the material that lies above an area of economic or scientific interest in mining and archaeology; most commonly the rock, soil, and ecosystem that lies above a coal seam or ore body. It is also known as 'waste' or 'spoil'...
(or waste material) required to be removed to the volume of ore recovered. For example, a 3:1 stripping ratio means that mining one cubic meter of ore will require mining three cubic meters of waste rock.
All other factors being equal, mining at a higher stripping ratio is less profitable than mining at a lower stripping ratio because more waste must be moved (at a cost per unit volume) for an equivalent volume of revenue generating ore. If the ratio is too high given a particular price of ore and associated cost of mining then it may not be economical to conduct mining.