Definition of "overburden" []

• To burden with too much weight; overload. (verb-transitive)
• To subject to an excessive burden or strain; overtax. (verb-transitive)
• An excessive burden; an overload. (noun)
• Geology Material overlying a useful mineral deposit. (noun)
• Geology Sedimentary rock covering older crystalline layers. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The earth above, what we call overburden, it's shifting, because when you remove part of the earth underneath, pressure has to go somewhere because it's going to drop."
• "The "overburden" is placed in an adjacent valley fill while workers use enormous equipment to mine the coal."
• "To the industry, these diverse and ecologically significant forests and wetlands are referred to as overburden, the forest to be stripped and the wetlands dredged and replaced by mines and tailings ponds so vast they can be seen from outer space."