GLOSSARY USED IN “LIGHTING RIDGE N.S.W AUSTRALIA BY BLACK OPAL MINERS”
1 – Open cut mining usually this expensive mining practice, is only undertaken on heavily worked and dangerous Opal leases. Which were very productive in previous times.
2 – There is no sheep station in this one, a term used by miners that rub or cut their own Opal. Usually one man will say to his partner after shaping the Opal rough , this term means no luck again.
3 – A slab, often used for a barter for Opal purchased, which is 24 cans of beer one box for a straight forward swap for the Opal. 4 – Ratter A word from early days of opal mining for a thief who enters a claim which is known to be producing opal , usually at night . Natural Jointed A term used by the miners to describe lumps of the same piece of opal which all join neatly together in the ground 5 – Band A hard silicious band of sandstone, usually at the bottom of the sandstone stratum . 6 – Biscuit Band A flaky sandstone band , quite shallow. can contain opal. 7 – Bluebottle A blue coloured potch, more commonly found with boulder opal. 8 – Calcareous A geological term to describe chalky types of sands and shales . 9 – Claypan A flat open bare area of country with little or no vegetation .
10 – Claim Jumping Using the letter of the law to take another miner’s claim for not fulfilling the conditions of the lease . 11 – Datum Post A fixed starting point, to a granted mining area . 12 – Deep Country Any area of a field which requires deep shafts to reach the opal level, The opposite to a shallow country .13 – Double Bar Two horizontal parallel bars of colour running through a piece of opal. 14 – Duffer A mine or shaft which produces no opal. 15 – Face The wall of a mine which usually carrying opal. 16 – Seam Opal Opal found in pockets or long horizontal seams 17 – Sedimentary A geological term for water or wind worn material which has settled and become consolidated 18 – Shin cracker A hard porcelain type of opal dirt, which flies up when hit with a heavy pick, striking the miner in the shins 19 – Siliceous One of many names used in geology to describe silicon dioxide compounds. 20 – Common Opal Valueless ,lusterless opal which does not show any play of colour . 21 – Conglomerate A term used in geology to describe a coherent mass of water worn pebbles and gravel in cement-like material. 22 – Bottomed The bottom of a shaft which has broken through the layer of sandstone which lies immediately above the opal dirt.23 – Boulder opal Opal which has formed in crevices or cracks in iron or sandstone boulders.
24 – Gouge This term is used to describe a miner digging out opal, or digging with a pick in anticipation of striking opal. 25 – Harlequin When applied to opal, the pattern has nearly ninety degree angles of colour. In the early days, the “harlequin” description was reserved exclusively for a stone exhibiting squares of different colours which changed as the stone was moved . 26 – Hyalite A glassy, transparent form of common opal. 27 – Ironstone Much of Queensland’s opal is found in a common ironstone boulder, which is usually a combination of aluminium oxide,silicon dioxide and ferrous oxide . 28 – Matrix Meaning a mixture ,or enclosing. A common term used to describe a form of boulder in which flecks or veins of colour are seen . 29 – Fire Opal A common term used to describe certain forms of Mexican opal which don’t necessarily have moving colours. When applied to Australian opal , it implies lively, moving colours. 30 – Floor The bottom of a drive or tunnel. 31 – Floater The term used to describe a boulder or a piece of opal which has been released from an opal-bearing level through weathering. 32 – Foul Air Stale air in which ,due to the lack of circulation in the mine,poisonous gases can be built up . 33 – Free form A piece of opal where the natural shape of the stone has been kept when cutting. 34 – Specking To search old mine heaps for traces of opal. 35 – Tailings Material which is left over after the miner has gone through them.
36 – The Level The stratum in which opal is carried. 37 – Windlass A winch for hauling dirt up out of the mine. 38 – Rough Is the term used by miners when they offer uncut opal for sale. 39 – Rush Hurrying to peg claims after the discovery of a rich opal find. 40 – Rubbing Down The first process in cutting opal where the outer layer of material is removed . 41 – Sandstones Strata associated with Australian sedimentary opal, of a felspar base , not quartz. 42 – Semi Opal A term used to describe forms of material which are usually part opal. 43 – New Chum Or a green horn – someone without experience 44 – Opal Dirt A common name to describe shales and clays which carry opal . 45 – Parcel A term used when offering a number of opals for sale . 46 – Potch A common opal . 47 – Roof top section of a opal tunnel. 48 – Milk Opal A white form of opal , either common or precious. 49 – Miner’s Right A mining licence which allows certain rights to the holder.( Except for New South Wales , 50 – Mullock opal dirt which has been brought up from down in the mine and dumped on the surface .
