Gravel pit

For the song by the Wu Tang Clan, see Gravel Pit.

A gravel pit is an open-pit mine for the extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may naturally fill with water to form ponds or lakes. Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas for water sports, landfills and walking. In addition, many gravel pits in the United Kingdom have been stocked with freshwater fish such as the common carp to create coarse fishing locations. Gravel and sand are mined for concrete, construction aggregate and other industrial mineral uses.

• 
  Panorama of a gravel pit near Ans, Denmark

Gallery

• 
  A gravel pit in Germany
• 
  A naturalized gravel pit, now Silver Springs Park in East St. Paul, Manitoba.
• 
  Tennessee quarry
• 
  Gravel pit in Tullingeåsen, which forms part of Uppsalaåsen.
• 
  Overhead view of the quarry Thornton Quarry.
• 
  Thornton Quarry with Interstate 80/Interstate 294/Tri-State Tollway above.

See also

• Borrow pit
• Clay pit
• Quarry
• Rock (geology)
• Granite
• Stone industry
• Mining engineering

External links

• Gravel Watch: Responsible Management of Aggregates

References

• UEPG – The European Aggregates Association
• Samscreen International
• The National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
• The American Society for Testing Materials
• Gravel Watch Ontario
• Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association
• Portland Cement Association
• Pavement Interactive article on Aggregates
• 2006 USGS Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Crushed