i66 THE PROSPECTOR'S HANDBOOK'. 



SLUICE A box or trough through which gold dust is washed. (Set 

 GOLD, Chap. V.) 



SMALLS Small-sized pieces of ore and gangue. 



SPATHIC Sparry. Term applied to certain carbonates. 



SPIEGELEISEN Variety of highly carbonised pig-iron. 



SPOTTED (America) Leads in which the gold is irregularly dissemi- 

 nated. 



STALACTITIC Like a stalactite (of the form of a cylinder or cone), as 

 the carbonate of lime incrustations hanging from the roof of lime- 

 stone caverns. Stalagmites are the columns or cones like these 

 which are on the floor of the caverns. 



STAMP A weight used for crushing ore. 



STANNIFEROUS Containing tin. 



STEATITE A mineral, usually of a greenish colour and soapy to the 

 touch, containing much talc. Soapstone. 



STOPES In a mine, the stopes are the steps which the ore assumes 

 while being excavated ; when the steps are above the miner's 

 head they are "overhead" stopes; when under his feet "under- 

 hand " stopes. 



STRAKE An inclined board used in the separation of gold from small 

 quartz. 



STRATUM A bed or layer. 



STRIKE A find; a valuable development made in an unexpected 

 manner. 



STRIKE The straight line in which the plane of a bed or lode cuts the 

 plane of the horizon is called the strike. (See Chap. II.) 



STRING A thin course of ore. 



STRUCTURE The arrangement of the grains or component parts of a 

 mineral. 



STUFF Ore associated with the gangue of a lode. 



SUBLIMATE The matter formed by condensed vapour when a mineral 

 is heated. 



SUBMETALLIC Of imperfect metallic lustre. 



SUBSIDENCE The sinking down of. 



SUBTRANSPARENT Of imperfect transparency. 



SULPHATE A salt containing sulphuric acid. 



SULPHIDE A combination of a metal with sulph'ur. 



SUMPS Pits sunk below the foot of mining shafts for the purpose of 

 draining, or proving a lode. 



SWITHER A crevice branching from a main lode. 



SUN VEIN A vein running in a southerly direction. 



SYNCLINAL (See Chap. II.) 



T. 



TABLE LAND An elevated plain or plateau. 



TAILINGS The earthy matter left after it has been washed or otherwise 

 worked for metal. 



