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.

Problems

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

An abandoned construction aggregate quarry near Adelaide, South Australia

An abandoned limestone quarry

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Rock Quarry at Halibut Point State Park, Massachusetts

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

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