French Mining Terms


This is a compilation of common French mining terms. These are technical terms that may well be common French terms but have special meanings in the mining environment. They are comparable to the better known language of seafarers. An attempt has been made to translate the terms into English technical terms. This is not 100% successful because the mining traditions are different. Send an email please if you have any corrections.

French English Explanation
Abattage Mining Action of removing ore from the rock
About Butt-end Miners assigned to shaft work.
Aérage Ventilation All the processes and devices designed to bring the necessary fresh air into mining cavities, dilute and remove stale air, and cool the mine climate.
Bure Bure Small internal shaft linking two floors
Cage Cage Platform of one or more storeys, connected to the extraction machine by cables, and used to move personnel, equipment or products up and down the shafts.
Carreau Tile Open-air storage area, close to the shafts, where all the equipment destined for the bottom is stored and transported.
Chantier Site Any location in the mine where mining operations are carried out.
Chevalement Headframe Gantry above the shaft, supporting the pulley that drives the cable and the cage
Coup de grisou firedamp explosion Explosion resulting from the ignition of firedamp (explosive content between 5 and 15%)
Coup de poussières Dust explosion Explosion of fine coal dust suspended in the air (firedamp generally generates a dust explosion)
Cuffat Cage A type of large bucket used to transport personnel or products during the digging of a shaft.
Cuvelage Casing Watertight part of the shaft of a well at the level of the water table (generally made of cast iron or concrete).
Exhaure drainage All the installations used to bring water up from the bottom to the surface.
Exploitation Exploitation All the work involved in extracting value from a mineral deposit.
Extraction Extraction Transporting products from the seabed to the surface
Fonçage Sinking Action of digging downwards
Fût de puits Shaft casing The inner lining of the walls of a shaft (wood, brick, concrete, etc.)
Galerie Gallery General name for any horizontal underground communication route
Grisou firedamp firedamp is the gas contained in coal. It is essentially composed of methane (CH4).
Machine d'extraction Extraction machine Machine that drives the cages or skips in the shafts
Mine Mine Underground mining of mineral substances
Puits Shaft Vertical opening linking the different levels of the mine. The extraction shaft is used to evacuate the coal, while the service shaft is used for other purposes (personnel, equipment, backfill, etc.).
Raval Raval Action of deepening an existing shaft
Recette Revenue Facilities located in the vicinity of the shaft, on each level
Siège ou Unité d'Exploitation (UE) Headquarters or Operating Unit (OU) All the basic and day-to-day facilities needed to mine and process coal
Skip Skip Cage specially designed for transporting coal from the bottom to the top of the shaft
Sondage Sounding Digging a hole to determine the nature of the ground or to connect two points in the mine.
Taille Cut Refers to the area where the coal is mined
Veine Seam General term for the seam or layer of ore