to strip mine
- phrasal verb
- /strɪp maɪn/
- Specialized
:
minar a cielo abierto
- And they literally strip mine thousands of tons a day.
Examples
-
To meet the rising energy demand, they decided to strip mine the adjacent hills for more resources.
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I feel very strongly that we can't just go out and, and, and strip mine another one.
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Companies often strip mine large areas of land to gather coal efficiently.
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Many environmentalists oppose how they strip mine because it damages the ecosystem.
Synonyms
21
4.0
To take metals or minerals from the ground by digging
1
7.2
Remove the top layers of soil to get minerals using large machines
1
6.0
To remove earth and rock from the ground to get coal or other minerals
To remove the top layer of ground to get minerals like coal
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'strip mine' is directly compositional: 'strip' (to remove a covering or layer) modifies 'mine' (a place where minerals are dug), so it denotes a mine where the overlying material is stripped away. This literal, behaviour-based combination follows normal English noun-modifier patterns and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Strip mine shows the picture of machines that strip away long layers of topsoil and rock to reach the mine underneath. That's why it means 'to take minerals by removing large strips of ground rather than digging tunnels'.