Tailings, also called
mine dumps,
culm dumps,
slimes,
tails,
refuse,
leach residue or
slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction (
gangue) of an
ore. Tailings are distinct from
overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body and is displaced during mining without being processed. The amount of tailings can be large, ranging from 90–98% for some copper ores to 20–50% of the other (less valuable) minerals.