ISO 22932-2:2020

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 22932-2
First edition
2020-06
Mining — Vocabulary —
Part 2:
Geology
Exploitation minière — Vocabulaire —
Partie 2: Géologie
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
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ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 General terms . 1
3.2 Physical geology . 6
3.3 Mineralogy . 7
3.4 Petrology . 8
3.5 Historical geology .17
3.6 Topography .19
3.7 Structural geology and tectonics .20
3.8 Geomorphology .33
3.9 Geochemistry.34
3.10 Geophysics .35
3.11 Geohydrology .36
3.12 Hydrology .37
3.13 Economic geology .40
3.14 Soils .42
Bibliography .44
Foreword
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 82, Mining.
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iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
The ISO 22932 series has been prepared in order to standardize and to co-ordinate the global use of
technical terms in mining, for the benefice of the experts working on different types of mining activities.
The need for the ISO 22932 series arose from the widely varying interpretation of terms used within
the industry and the prevalent use of more than one synonym.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 22932-2:2020(E)
Mining — Vocabulary —
Part 2:
Geology
1 Scope
This document specifies the geologic terms commonly used in mining. Only those terms that have a
specific meaning in this field are included.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1 General terms
3.1.1
bedrock
solid rock underlying superficial deposits (3.4.3.16)
Note 1 to entry: See also saddle reef (3.13.11).
[SOURCE: BS 3618-5:1971]
3.1.2
economic geology
study and analysis of formations (3.7.22) and materials that can be useful or profitable to man
Note 1 to entry: These materials can be fuels, metallic minerals (3.13.4), nonmetallic minerals (3.13.4), water and
geothermal resources.
Note 2 to entry: For additional terms related to economic geology, see 3.13.
3.1.3
geochemistry
study of the relative and absolute abundances of the elements and their nuclides (isotopes) in the Earth,
including the distribution and migration of the individual elements or suites of elements in the various
envelopes of the Earth
Note 1 to entry: The envelopes of the Earth are the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, etc.
Note 2 to entry: For additional terms related to geochemistry, see 3.9.
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996, modified - Note
2 to entry added.]
3.1.4
geohydrology
study of hydraulics pertinent to the flow of water and similar liquids through soils (3.1.19) and rocks
Note 1 to entry: For additional terms related to geohydrology, see 3.11.
[SOURCE: BS 3618-5:1971, modified - Note 1 to entry added.]
3.1.5
geology
study of the planet Earth, the materials of which it is made, the processes that act on these materials,
the products formed, and the history of the planet and its life forms since its origin
Note 1 to entry: Geology considers the physical forces that act on the Earth, the chemistry of its constituent
materials, and the biology of its past inhabitants as revealed by fossils. Clues on the origin of the planet are sought
in a study of the Moon and other extraterrestrial bodies. The knowledge thus obtained is placed in the service
of humans to aid in discovery of minerals (3.13.4) and fuels of value in the Earth's crust, to identify geologically
stable sites for major structures (3.4.1.4), and to provide foreknowledge of some of the dangers associated with
the mobile forces of a dynamic Earth.
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996]
3.1.6
geomorphology
science that treats the general configuration of the Earth's surface (3.1.23), specifically the study of the
classification, description, nature, origin, and development of present landforms and their relationships
to underlying structures (3.4.1.4), and of the history of geologic changes as recorded by these surface
features
Note 1 to entry: For additional terms related to geomorphology, see 3.8.
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996, modified - Note
1 to entry added.]
3.1.7
geophysics
branch of physics dealing with the Earth using specific physical phenomena in order to elucidate
processes of dynamic geology (3.1.5) and physical geography
Note 1 to entry: The term "Earth" includes atmosphere and hydrosphere.
Note 2 to entry: The physical phenomena dealt with include seismic, gravitational, electric, thermal, radiometric
and magnetic.
Note 3 to entry: Earth sciences such as geodesy (3.8.4), geology, seismology (3.7.10), meteorology, oceanography,
and magnetism make use of physics in collecting and interpreting Earth data.
Note 4 to entry: Methods applying geophysics have been applied successfully to the identification of underground
structures (3.4.1.4) in the Earth and to the search of structures of a particular type, for example those associated
with oil bearing sands.
Note 5 to entry: For additional terms related to geophysics, see 3.10.
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996, modified - Note
5 to entry added.]
3.1.8
historical geology
major branch of geology (3.1.5) concerned with the evolution of the Earth and its life forms from its
origins to the present day, involving investigations into stratigraphy, paleontology, and geochronology,
as well as the consideration of paleoenvironments, glacial periods, and plate-tectonic motions
Note 1 to entry: It is complementary to physical geology (3.1.15). Not to be confused with the history of geology.
2 © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Note 2 to entry: For additional terms related to historical geology, see 3.5.
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996, modified - Note
2 to entry added.]
3.1.9
hydrology
study of the movement of water on and within the Earth’s crust
Note 1 to entry: See also hydrogeology (3.11.4).
Note 2 to entry: For additional terms related to hydrology, see 3.12.
[SOURCE: BS 3618-5:1971, modified - Note 2 to entry added.]
3.1.10
ironstone
rock containing a substantial proportion of an iron compound, or any iron ore from which the metal can
be smelted commercially; specifically, an iron-rich sedimentary rock (3.4.3), either deposited directly as
a ferruginous sediment or resulting from chemical replacement
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996]
3.1.11
mineralogy
study of minerals (3.13.4), including their formation, occurrence, use, properties, composition, and
classification
Note 1 to entry: For additional terms related to mineralogy, see 3.3.
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996, modified - Note
1 to entry added.]
3.1.12
mining geology
geological aspects of mineral (3.13.4) deposits related to mining activities
Note 1 to entry: Its objectives, besides studying the geologic structures (3.4.1.4) in place and their continuity in
space, are the modes of formation and the occurrence of mineral deposits and their discovery, in particular.
3.1.13
nongraded sediment
bed (3.4.1.1) detrital sediment, loose or cemented, containing notable amounts of more than one grade,
e.g. loam or boulder clay (3.14.2)
[SOURCE: Dictionary of Mining, Mineral and Related Terms, U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1996]
3.1.14
petrology
...