Editing Fathom (section)

===On land===
Until early in the 20th century, it was the unit used to measure the depth of [[Mining|mines]] (mineral extraction) in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web
  | title =Mining Encyclopaedia
  | publisher =U.K. Mine and Quarry Information and Exploration
  | url =http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/open-htm-white-paper.asp?id=4
  | access-date =2007-05-28
  | archive-date =2006-05-15
  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060515235815/http://www.mine-explorer.co.uk/open-htm-white-paper.asp?id=4
  | url-status =dead
  }}</ref> Miners also use it as a unit of area equal to 6 feet square (3.34 m<sup>2</sup>) in the plane of a vein.<ref name=oed/> In Britain, it can mean the quantity of wood in a pile of any length measuring {{convert|6|ft|m}} square in cross section.<ref name=oed/> In [[Central Europe]], the [[klafter]] was the corresponding unit of comparable length, as was the [[toise]] in [[France]]. In [[Hungary]] the square fathom ("[[:hu:Öl#Magyarorsz.C3.A1gon|négyszögöl]]") is still in use as an unofficial measure of land area, primarily for small lots suitable for construction.{{clarify|date=September 2016}}