The term mining area encompasses all land used for the (surface) mining of natural resources, whether opencast mines, trenches or quarries. Areas that feature operational buildings are not included.
In some cases built-up sites that are a part of the mining operation are not captured separately (old ATKIS Basis-DLM, Version 3.2). This means that an entire mining site is incorrectly classified as industrial and commercial land. In the new Basis-DLM (AAA-Modell, Version 6.0) this can no longer occur, as modelling of the area of actual land use is now more precise. However, some regionally differentiated migration effects in regard to mining and dump sites as well as industrial and commercial sites may become apparent in the wake of the changeover from the old to the new ATKIS model.
Sites upon which material is stored for lengthy periods may be assigned to the category dump site. Such dump sites are unsealed; vegetation generally develops spontaneously without the intervention of human hand. Typical settlement functions such as living, working, transport and communication are not found on dump sites.
In the Monitor of Settlement and Open Space Development, mining and dump sites are view as forms of open space.