
A small cinder quarry.
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.
A quarry is often mistaken for other types of open-pit or open-cast mines such as
borrow or
gravel pits.
Types of rock extracted from quarries include:
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Cinder
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China Clay
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Coquina
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Granite
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Gritstone
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Gypsum ''a mineral''
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Limestone
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Marble
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Sandstone
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Slate
Quarries in level areas often have special
engineering problems for
drainage. The Coquina Quarry at the right is excavated to more than sixty feet (18 meters) 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 to become
ponds or small
lakes after abandonment for mining purposes. Others have become
landfills.
References
See also
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Clay pit
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Gravel pit
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List of rocks
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List of minerals and stone types
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List of stone
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Collecting fossils
External links
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See How Rock Is Quarried