ganguen.
/ɡaŋ/, U.S. /ɡæŋ/ Geology and Mining.
The unwanted or valueless part of a mineral deposit, surrounding or mixed with the ore; the matrix (matrix n. 3a) in which a mineral occurs. Cf. veinstone n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral sources > [noun] > material containing ore
gangue1712
stuff1851
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral sources > [noun] > material containing ore > matrix
miner?a1425
mother stone1442
minera?1645
matrix1651
mother-spar1681
veinstone1696
gangue1778
veinstuff1796
gangart1799
matrice1855
cement1881
skarn1901
1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. Compl. Hist. Druggs II. iii. 359/2 The Workmen..take the clearest, or that which has least of the Gangue in it.
1778 J. Aikin tr. A. Beaumé Man. Chem. 224 The gangue, or matrix, is the stony matter, chrystalised or unchrystalised, calcareous or vitrifiable, which does not mineralise the metal, but is only interposed between the metallic particles.
1809 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 99 196 The gangue is a white quartz.
1854 J. D. Whitney Metallic Wealth U.S. iii. 173 The usual gangues of the copper ores are quartz and hornblende; of the gold, quartz and sulphuret of iron.
1875 C. D. Smith in W. C. Kerr Rep. Geol. Surv. N. Carolina I. App. 117 On the opposite side of the creek I have observed Gold in Talco micacious slate without any quartz gang.
1917 Chem. Abstr. 11 137 In ‘selective’ flotation a valuable mineral is separated from a worthless gang.
1958 M. L. Wolf Dict. Painting 179 A substance known as gangue (vein-stone) is often offered as mineral gray, but it is not a successful substitute.
1996 S. King Desperation iii. v. 502 Those are waste dumps... The stuff piled on the plastic is gangue—spoil.
Compounds
General attributive, esp. in gangue mineral.
ΚΠ
1854 J. D. Whitney Metallic Wealth U.S. 64 The usual gangue minerals, quartz, calcareous spar, and heavy spar..cannot possibly have been introduced into vein-fissures by injection.
1872 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 22 Those ores bearing much gangue matter..can easily be assorted.
1954 J. F. Kirkaldy Gen. Princ. Geol. x. 122 The veins are composed of angular fragments of granite or country rock enclosed in gangue minerals.
2005 N. Nezafati et al. in J. Mao & F. P. Bierlein Mineral Deposit Res. I. iv. xxiv. 446/2 The following ore and gangue minerals were observed..molybdenite, pyrite, [etc.].
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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