Teufe

Teufe is the German mining term for depth. The "Teufe" ("h"T) indicates how deep a given point lies below the surface of an open-cast pit or below the ground level in the area surrounding the pit. By contrast the height, "h", refers its distance from a reference surface 'above'. The vertical distance between the surface and a point in the mine ("Grubengebäude"), i.e. the vertical depth, was formerly also called the "Seigerteufe". This difference is no longer made today. The terms "Teufe" and "Seigerteufe" are synonymous.
Reference points.
The "Teufe" is always given from a reference point. In earlier times, during the construction of galleries ("Stollen") here was the so-called "Stollenteufe". 