tons of tailings

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "tons of tailings" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the large quantities of waste material left over after the extraction of minerals or resources, particularly in mining contexts. Example: "The mining operation produced tons of tailings, which posed significant environmental challenges for the surrounding area."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

And the planned waste facility — where as much as 14.6 million tons of waste rock and 7.2 million tons of tailings would be deposited over the expected nine-year life of the mine — would be about 150 steps from the river.

The New York Times

The Canadian mining sector produces around one million tons of waste rock and 950,000 tons of tailings per day.

Vice

The permit allowed Coeur Alaska to dispose of 4.5 million tons of tailings from the Kensington gold mine, 45 mile north of Juneau, into Lower Slate Lake.

Wikipedia

Opponents estimate the mine's wastes will include 1,577 million tons of waste rock, 53 million tons of tailings material and 112 million tons of spent heap leach material.

Huffington Post

The gold mine had not operated since 1928, and Coeur Alaska obtained a permit in 2005 from the United States Army Corps of Engineers USACEE) to dispose of up to 4.5 million tons of tailings in Lower Slate Lake, which is located in a National Forest.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

Navajo youths have a thousand times the rate of sexual organ cancer as other Americans because the thousands of tons of uranium tailings that have been dumped on their reservation lands.

The Guardian

Presently, billions of tons of copper tailings can be found in major copper producing countries.

Construction and Building Materials

The contaminated water from some 14,000 abandoned mine shafts, 70 million tons of mine tailings, and 36 million tons of mill sand and sludge remained as a huge environmental cleanup problem.

Huffington Post

And so, over the course of three days, 9,000 tonnes of tailings and soil were removed.

The Guardian

Millions of tons of iron ore tailings (IOT); a by-product of iron ore processing, are disposed of every year in landfills, quarries, rivers, oceans among others thereby posing environmental problems.

Construction and Building Materials

Mining activities have a serious environmental impact on soils and water streams by generating millions of tons of sulfide-rich tailings (Banks et al. 1997; Younger 1997; Passariello et al. 2002; Younger and Robins 2002; Younger et al. 2002; Romano et al. 2003; Kovács et al. 2006; Bhattacharya et al. 2006).

Applied Water Science

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing environmental impact assessments, be precise about the types of materials included in the "tons of tailings", specifying their chemical composition when relevant.

Common error

Don't use "tons of tailings" as a generic term for all mining waste. Tailings are specifically the materials left over after the valuable minerals have been separated from the ore. Distinguish tailings from other forms of mining waste like waste rock.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "tons of tailings" primarily functions as a noun phrase, where "tons" modifies "tailings" to indicate a large quantity. Ludwig examples confirm its use in describing the scale of mining waste.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

40%

Wiki

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "tons of tailings" is a noun phrase used to describe substantial quantities of waste material generated from mining processes. Ludwig AI confirms that it's grammatically correct and often appears in discussions related to environmental impact and resource management. While relatively rare, the phrase is most frequently found in news articles and scientific publications. When using "tons of tailings", ensure accuracy by specifying the materials involved and distinguishing it from other forms of mining waste.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

large quantity of tailings

Replaces "tons" with a more formal synonym, maintaining the focus on quantity.

substantial amount of tailings

Similar to the previous phrase, but emphasizes the significance of the quantity.

significant volume of tailings

Shifts the emphasis to the spatial extent of the tailings.

considerable mass of tailings

Uses a more technical term, "mass", to describe the quantity of tailings.

vast accumulation of tailings

Highlights the gradual buildup of tailings over time.

huge piles of tailings

Uses a more descriptive and visual term to illustrate tailings accumulation.

massive deposits of tailings

Focuses on tailings as accumulated geological formations.

enormous quantities of mine waste

Broadens the phrase to include all types of mine waste, not just tailings.

untold amounts of mining residue

Emphasizes the unknown and potentially problematic aspect of the waste.

mountain of mining byproducts

Uses a more figurative and impactful term to describe tailings accumulation.

FAQs

How can I use "tons of tailings" in a sentence?

You can use "tons of tailings" to describe large quantities of waste material produced by mining operations, for example: "The abandoned mine left behind "tons of tailings", posing a significant environmental risk."

What are some alternatives to saying "tons of tailings"?

Alternatives include "large quantity of tailings", "substantial amount of tailings", or "significant volume of tailings", depending on the context.

What is the difference between "tons of tailings" and "tons of waste rock"?

"Tons of tailings" refers specifically to the processed ore residue after mineral extraction, while "tons of waste rock" refers to the rock removed to access the ore body. They are both mining byproducts but have different compositions and origins.

Is it more appropriate to use "tonnes of tailings" instead of "tons of tailings"?

Whether to use "tons" or "tonnes" depends on the context and audience. "Tons" is typically used in the United States, while "tonnes" (metric tons) is more common in other parts of the world. Both are acceptable, but consistency is key.