Glory hole (mining)
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For other uses, see glory hole.
A glory hole is an informal term for a large and impressive mine excavation open to the surface. The term can mean any one of a number of things:
- A deep mine shaft.
- An open-pit mine.
- In the block caving method of underground mining, ore collapses from above into a mine tunnel. If enough ore is removed, the ground surface collapses into a surface depression called a glory hole. Examples include the Climax and Henderson molybdenum mines in the U.S. state of Colorado.
- Excavations in construction sites may also be referred to as glory holes.
