# A Lake Dries Up. A Mine: **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446 "2016-08-30T00:07:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/1 "2016-08-30T00:07:29Z")
Once you’ve extracted all of the ore, gems, or whatever you’re going to get from a mine, what word or phrase described what happened to the mine? As in, “Mining Town, Colorado thrived from the discovery of silver in 1860 until the silver mines \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ by 1917.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/2 "2016-08-30T00:15:10Z")
were exhausted played out ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/3 "2016-08-30T00:17:38Z")
“Dried up” works here too. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/4 "2016-08-30T00:21:16Z")
Speaking as somebody who has lived in the west all my life, and has done a lot of reading about history, including mining – “Played out” is the most common phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/5 "2016-08-30T00:24:43Z")
I thought this was some kind of trick question regarding sex, so my initial response was: “petered out.” ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/6 "2016-08-30T01:30:42Z")
Mines are “exhausted” or “worked out”. I’ve never heard “played out”, but it works. ---
**Author:** ![Oddball\_92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b3f665/32.png) [@Oddball\_92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oddball_92)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/7 "2016-08-30T02:15:01Z")
depleted ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/8 "2016-08-30T02:38:14Z")
Failed to generate acceptable profit margins. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/9 "2016-08-30T02:45:17Z")
Infested by creepers. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/10 "2016-08-30T03:11:36Z")
I’d say something more along the lines of “silver mining _activity_ dwindled/diminished” might more accurately describe what probably happened. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/11 "2016-08-30T14:54:26Z")
Minds work in different ways - I thought the thread title was supposed to be a palindrome. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/12 "2016-08-30T14:59:04Z")
…Panama! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/13 "2016-08-30T15:17:40Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Mines are “exhausted” or “worked out”. I’ve never heard “played out”, but it works. I’ve _only_ heard “played out”. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/14 "2016-08-30T15:53:30Z")
I have some experience in mining of minerals and gases. “Mineral field **depleted** ” and “vespene geyser **exhausted** ” are the terms my top advisor always used. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/15 "2016-08-30T17:04:10Z")
Mines can still contain a great deal of realisable resources, but they can readily be killed off by cheaper alternative sources of supply. Gold, and lead and copper were extensively mined in the UK, but its way cheaper to extract from other mines, so they are shut down - yet not worked out ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/16 "2016-08-30T17:51:42Z")
> [@Oddball\_92](#): > > depleted This is the correct technical term used in the drilling and mining industry. ---
**Author:** ![Saffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saffer/32/6440_2.png) [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/17 "2016-08-30T17:58:59Z")
> [@troub](#): > > I have some experience in mining of minerals and gases. “Mineral field **depleted** ” and “vespene geyser **exhausted** ” are the terms my top advisor always used. Adjutant online… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/18 "2016-08-30T19:04:08Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Mines can still contain a great deal of realisable resources, but they can readily be killed off by cheaper alternative sources of supply. > > Gold, and lead and copper were extensively mined in the UK, but its way cheaper to extract from other mines, so they are shut down - yet not worked out My geological engineer friend used to say - “the difference between ore and rock is whether the mineral can be extracted with a profit.” I would have answered “exhausted” or “mined out”. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/19 "2016-08-30T19:19:02Z")
> [@troub](#): > > I have some experience in mining of minerals and gases. “Mineral field **depleted** ” and “vespene geyser **exhausted** ” are the terms my top advisor always used. People who actually work in the field, and people who report on the field and are familiar with it, as opposed to merely talking about the field, have a strong tendency to use “played out.” > **[Mining Reporter](https://books.google.com/books?id=teNAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA391&lpg=PA391&dq=mines%2Bbeing%2Bplayed%2Bout&source=bl&ots=qIUR5-x76t&sig=pJkmiaXYfR1xXIiNoPJtBg2HSEE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX1PLc7OnOAhVL-GMKHc3iC-8Q6AEILDAD#v=onepage&q=mines%20being%20played%20out&f=false)** (right-hand column, near the bottom) > **[Engineering and Mining Journal](https://books.google.com/books?id=_sY_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA599&lpg=PA599&dq=mines%2Bbeing%2Bplayed%2Bout&source=bl&ots=MNauEYty9V&sig=oHDtvz6OyPiZph6ZpzQhyZ0HUxA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX1PLc7OnOAhVL-GMKHc3iC-8Q6AEILjAE#v=onepage&q=mines%20being%20played%20out&f=false)** (middle column) > **[The Salt Lake Mining Review](https://books.google.com/books?id=vu4-AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA31&lpg=RA4-PA31&dq=mines%2Bbeing%2Bplayed%2Bout&source=bl&ots=_VfgchIPOZ&sig=IuxpKq9fLMBrbH7NC5BWv7M4k_U&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiX1PLc7OnOAhVL-GMKHc3iC-8Q6AEIMDAF#v=onepage&q=mines%20being%20played%20out&f=false)** (middle column, top) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446/20 "2016-08-30T19:52:32Z")
> [@Oddball\_92](#): > > depleted This. You can do this to trousers, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-lake-dries-up-a-mine/764446.md?page=2)