Looking at excavation, tool raised overhead (9)
I believe the answer is:
examining
'looking at' is the definition.
('examine' can be a synonym of 'look at')
'excavation tool raised overhead' is the wordplay.
'excavation' becomes 'mining' (synonyms).
'tool' becomes 'axe' (axe is a kind of tool).
'raised' says the letters should be written in reverse (going up in a down clue).
'overhead' says to put letters next to each other (in a down clue, some letters go over others).
'axe' backwards is 'exa'.
'mining' put after 'exa' is 'EXAMINING'.
(Other definitions for examining that I've seen before include "exploring" , "Checking out" , "Subjecting to inspection" , "Looking at closely" , "Inquiring into" .)