The process of
mining a
seam of
minerals (e.g.
coal,
marble) that exists just under the surface of the earth in the most
efficient and
cost effective way possible.
Basically, you just get a big
digger and rip the
topsoil and
vegitation away until you get at whatever it is that you want.
Traditionally, once you have
exhausted the seam, you then
bugger off and leave a
huge,
ugly,
sterile hole in the ground.
You get extra
bonus points if you manage to
poison the
groundwater with some nasty
by-product such as a
heavy metal,
cyanide, or suchlike.
A really nasty way of treating the planet, much akin to date rape.