Why do people quarry

What is Quarrying? What is the difference between a mine and a quarry? What is the Quarrying Process? What do quarries produce? Why do we need quarries? What careers are available in quarrying? Quarries have been used for thousands of years. Ancient Egypt ians built the Great Pyramids with massive limestone and granite blocks cut by hand from nearby quarries. Each of these blocks weighs many tons. In ancient Rome , slave s and criminals were often forced to do the extremely difficult work of cutting stones in marble , granite, and limestone quarries.

Methods of extracting stone and other materials from quarries have changed since the first quarries were mined in the Aswan area of Egypt. The earliest quarries were mined with hammers, picks, and chisel s made of stone or metals such as bronze and iron.

Even communities that did not have stone buildings created quarries. The Lakota culture of the Midwest region of the U. At a site in Pipestone National Monument, in the U. Calumets, made of a type of metamorphic rock called catlinite or pipestone, were important for creating lasting treaties, or agreements between groups of people.

Quarrying material for use in building materials was much more work. Stones had to be carried or dragged out of quarries manually. Stones could also be hauled with pulley systems involving ropes and moveable wooden tracks or sleds.

This process often involved thousands of slaves and other workers. On Easter Island, for example, almost the entire community had to be involved in the quarrying, carving, and transportation of statues. The rock for these statues, called moai , was hauled all over the island from one quarry.

The heaviest moai weighs 86 tons. Scientists are still studying how these ancient Polynesia n people transport ed their quarried rock. Today, people use mechanical tools to mine quarries, including drilling equipment , blast ing equipment, and hauling equipment. Industrial drills with diamond tips are used to cut into hard rock. Some miners use explosive s to blast away unwanted material to access the desired rock.

Finally, materials are hauled away by enormous mining trucks. Some mining trucks can carry more than tons of material. Dimension Stones and Aggregate Different types of stones are mined for different purposes. The two most common types of quarry material are dimension stone s and aggregate. Large, precise ly cut stones excavate d from a quarry are called dimension stones. Dimension stones are used for construct ing buildings and monuments, or for decorating the outside of buildings.

They are also used for kitchen counters and roofing shingle s. Headstone s, polished dimension stones usually made of granite, are used to mark grave s in many countries.

Just imagine life without the convenience of aggregate products. When a quarry completes its production cycle they can go through a period or rehabilitation and redevelopment to benefit the community. You must be logged in to post a comment. Sand and gravel are used along with stone in construction work. As a result, millions of tonnes are being removed from sand and gravel deposits both on land — usually close to the urban areas where they are needed — and also from the sea bed.

Quarrying and Mineral Extraction.