Quarry

For other uses, see Quarry (disambiguation).

Portland Stone quarry on the Isle of Portland, England

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone. Quarries are usually shallower than other types of open-pit mines.

Problems

No one likes quarries. Quarries in level areas often have special engineering problems for drainage. The Coquina Quarry is excavated to more than 60 feet (18 m) below sea level. To reduce surface leakage, a moat lined with clay was constructed around the entire quarry. Ground water that seeps into the pit is pumped up into the moat.

Many quarries fill with water after abandonment and become lakes. Others are made into landfills.

Types of rock

Construction aggregate quarry near Adelaide, South Australia

An abandoned limestone quarry

Types of rock extracted from quarries include:

• Cinder
• Chalk
• China Clay
• Clay
• Coal
• Coquina
• Construction aggregate (sand and gravel)
• Globigerina Limestone (Malta)
• Granite
• Gritstone
• Gypsum
• Limestone
• Marble
• Ores
• Phosphate rock
• Sandstone
• Slate

See also

• Clay pit
• Collecting fossils
• Gravel pit
• Kouloura
• List of minerals
• List of rock types
• List of stones
• Miner
• Mountaintop removal mining

External links

• See How Rock Is Quarried
• Stone Quarries and Beyond: Quarries - Quarry Workers - Stone Cutters & Stone Carvers - Historical Dealers of Stone & the Finished Products
• Virtual tours of a quarry, Derbyshire