Glossary
Glossary of Terms
- Particulate Matter
- Particulate matter is regulated under the Clean Air Act. PM10 is particulate matter that is 10 microns or less in effective diameter (also called fine particulate matter). PM2.5 is particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter.
- Patent
- A document conveying title to land from the U.S. government to private ownership.
- Patented Claims
- Private land that has been secured from the U.S. government by compliance with laws relating to such lands.
- PDEIS
- Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- Percent Slope (Gradient)
- A measurement of the steepness of a slope determined by dividing the vertical difference in elevation by the horizontal distance traveled. A 100 percent slope is equal to a 45-degree slope.
- Perennial Stream
- A stream or reach of a stream that flows throughout the year.
- Petroglyph
- Literally, a rock carving; petroglyphs usually exclude writing and are of prehistoric or protohistoric age.
- Pit Lake
- Temporary or permanent body of water that may accumulate in the bottom of an open pit mine; typically present only after mine closure.
- Plan of Operations
- As required by 36 CFR 228.4: Operators submit plans of operation outlines to the U.S. Forest Service that include the name and address of the operator; location of the proposed area of operation; and information sufficient to describe the type of operation proposed, the type and stands of roads, the means of transportation to be used, the period in which the proposal will take place, and measures to be taken to meet the requirements for environmental protection.
- Preferred Alternative
- The alternative recommended for implementation by the proponent based on the evaluation completed in the planning process.
- Pregnant Leach Solution
- Mineral-laden solution recovered from a leaching operation. Leaching operations in arid climates such as Arizona are usually a closed-loop, recirculating system where the mineral commodity of interest is recovered from the pregnant solution and the residual liquid is refortified with a leaching reagent to make “barren solution.”
- Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)
- A regulatory program based not on the absolute levels of air pollution allowable in the atmosphere but on the amount by which a legally defined baseline condition will be allowed to deteriorate in a given area. Under this program, geographic areas are divided into three classes, each allowing different increases in nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide concentrations. Prevention of Significant Deterioration above legally established levels include the following, used to classify a region: • Class I—minimal additional deterioration in air quality (certain national parks and wilderness areas). • Class II—moderate additional deterioration in air quality (most lands). • Class III—greater deterioration for planned maximum growth (industrial areas).
- Prill
- Ammonium nitrate in bead form; used in the ore blasting process.
- Primary Crusher
- The first-stage crusher used to reduce the size of the run-of-mine ore prior to entering the milling circuit.
- Priority State
- A state of the U.S. authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer the Clean Water Act (CWA); Arizona is a Priority State.
- Process Solution Pond
- A pond that contains pregnant, barren, or recycling process solutions. An overflow pond that continually contains process solution as a normal function of facility operations is also considered a process solution pond.
- Process Water
- Water that has been used in the processing of an ore which may, in varying degrees, contain chemicals used in processing or constituents derived from the ore.
- Project Alternatives
- Alternatives to the proposed project developed through the NEPA process.
- Pushback
- The slice of earth and rock removed to horizontally expand an open pit mine.
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