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Blast. —To break by means of an explosion. A furnace into which a jet of 
air is blown. 
Blind Coal. —Anthracite, or any coal that burns without a flame. 
Blue El van. — Diorite or greenstone. 
Blue John. — Fluor spar. 
Bluestone. —Sulphate of copper or blue vitriol, also basalt. 
Blue Vitriol. — Sulphate of copper. 
Bonanza. —A large deposit of rich ore. 
Boning Rod. —A “T” shaped instrument used for levelling. 
Bort.— A black variety of diamond. 
Botryoidal. —Having a rounded appearance like a bunch of grapes. 
Bottom. —The rock formation below the alluvium on which the gold or tin 
is found. 
Boulder. — A detached rounded mass of rock. 
Branch. —A small vein of ore shooting oif from the main lode into the 
country. 
Brass. —An alloy of zinc and copper. 
Breast. — Face or front of coal seam being worked. 
Breccia. —A conglomerate composed of angular fragments. 
Brick-earth. — A clay suitable for making bricks. 
Bronze. — An alloy of tin and copper. 
Brown Coal. — A modern coal lacking the shining black colour of the older 
coals. 
Brown-spar. — A name given to the brown crystalline forms of dolomite. 
Brown-stone. —Limonite, brown iron ore. 
Buck. — A name given to large barren quartz reefs. 
Buddles. — Pans, with rapidly revolving agitators, into which tailings or water 
from ore dressing pass before being finally run away. 
Bunch. —A small rich patch in a lode. 
Bunny. A mass of ore lying off the vein. 
Burrow. — A heap of deads or refuse on the surface. 
Cage. The car or carrier used to hoist men or trucks in up the shaft. 
Cainozoic. The more modem geological formations. 
Calcareous. — Containing lime. 
Calcine. To roast gently in the presence of air in order to oxidise certain 
minerals and to drive off volatile matter. 
Calcite.—C arbonate of lime. 
Cam. A curved tooth fixed on a shaft, which rises the stamjis. 
Cannel Coal. — A highly bituminous coal used for making gas. 
Canyon. — A valley between perpendicular cliffs. 
Cap.—D ecomposed vein stuff capping a lode, 
Capel. A hard stone liniug at the sides of a tin lode. 
Carat.— A weight used in weighing precious stones nearly equal to 4 grains ; 
also a term used to denote the fineness of gold, 24 carat being taken as pure gold, 
whilst 18 carat means 18 parts pure gold and 6 of some other metal. 
Carbonate. — A chemical compound of carbonic acid and a base. 
Carboniferous. — A formation in which the true coal measures are found. 
Carn or Cairn. — A heap of stones used as a land mark. 
