A to Z of Quarrying

 

Aggregates – A broad term for a material that is used for construction or building applications. This includes gravel, sand, crushed stone etc.

Basalt – An igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of lava rich in magnesium and iron.

Bench – A strip of narrow land that is cut into the side of a quarry. It provides step-like zones for access and stability.

Bedrock – A solid rock that lies under loose material within the earth crusts.

Blasting – This is the process in which explosives are used to break rocks from the ground before further processing.

Bulldozer – An item of plant that is used to push materials

Conveyor belt – A machine that is used to transport materials, mainly stone, across different areas of a quarry.

Crusher – A machine that is used to crush larger stones into smaller rocks for further processing. There are a variety of different crushers available.

Dimension Stone – A large natural stone that has been selected and finished to specific sizes or shapes.

Drilling – The process of using tools or machines to drill holes into the rock.

Dump Truck – An item of plant that is used for transporting materials around site.

Dust – A by-product of the crushing process in which a very fine aggregate is produced.

Dust Suppression – The process in reducing and controlling airborne dust.

Earthworks – Engineering work create through the processing of the earth’s surface involving soil and rock.

Erosion – The process that is sued to dig or extract materials.

Excavator – An item of plant that is used to dig or extract materials.

Explosives – A reactive substance that produces large amounts of energy that produces an explosion.

Face Angle – The angle of the slope of the exposed quarry face.

Geology – It is the science that deals with the earth’s physical structures and substances.

Geotechnical Engineering – It is a branch of civil engineering that is concerned with the engineering behaviour of earth materials.

Grading – This is the particle-size distribution for aggregates.

Granite – A coarsely-grained igneous rock mainly composed of quartz, alkali feldspar and plagioclase.

Gravel – A loose, rounded stones or fragment of rock.

Groundwater – Water that is held underground.

Hauling – This is the process of moving materials around a quarry.

Haul Road – A road designed for the transfer of materials around a quarry.

Hazard – This is a potential sources of harm, substance, event or circumstance, that can cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value.

Health & Safety – A general term that aims to reduce work-related death, injury or ill health.

Hopper – A container used to hold and dispense bulk materials such as rock, gravel or other aggregates.

Hydrogeology – The study of groundwater

Lagoon – A water body or reservoir.

Loading Shovel – An item of plant that is used to move and deposit materials without having to push it. Also known as a wheel loader.

Limestone – A type of sedimentary rock that is the main source of the material lime.

Mine – An underground area where in which stone or other materials are extracted from the ground.

Minerals – Another term for the type of rock i.e limestone.

Operator – A person who operates plant and equipment.

Overburden – The material that lies above an area in which other valuable material life.

Permit – A quarry permit is a document granted to a person or business that allows for the extraction of quarry materials.

Plant – Heavy duty vehicles that are designed to complete different tasks within a quarry.

Pit – A large hole within the ground where materials have been extracted.

Pump – A device that moves fluids.

Quarry – An area in which stone or other materials are extracted from the ground.

Quarry Design – The design that sets out the direction and height of the quarry faces, the type of equipment used, the position and the widths of haul roads, and the control measures necessary.

Quarrying – The extraction of materials from a quarry.

Raw Material – The basic material from which a product is made.

Restoration – An essential environmental practice that looks to reinstate the previous landscape or to provide new opportunities to end of life quarries.

Sand – A type of aggregate with very fine particle sizes.

Sandstone – A type of sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand silicate grains.

Screening – The process of taking crushed stone and separating it into different grading particles sizes.

Sediment – Material eroded off other rocks that is then worn down to small particles.

Shale – a fine-grained, sedimentary rock that is formed from mud that is mixed with small amounts of other minerals.

Shotfirer – The person responsible for preparing, positioning, and detonating explosives

Shot Firing – The process of using explosives to extract rocks from the ground.

Siltstone – A type of sedimentary rock that mainly consists of silt.

Site investigation – The process of collecting information, assessing data and reporting on potential hazards.

Site Survey – This is an inspection of an area where work is proposed to gather information for a design or an estimate.

Slope – An area or surface that has an incline relative to the horizontal.

Slope Stability – This is the condition that an inclined slope can withstand its own weight and external forces without experiencing displacement.

Stockpiling – This is a pile of stored materials that have been extracted or processed.

Stripping – The process of removing the upper layer of materials to gain access below.

Sump – A pit where water and run-off congregates.

Surface Water – Water that is located on top of land and it mainly produced by precipitation.

The Quarries Regulation 1999 – The regulations that are imposed on quarries within the UK with the intention of protecting the health & safety of people working with a quarry.

Topsoil – The upper layer of soil.

Topography – The arrangement of natural or artificial land surfaces.

Washing – The process in which water is used to wash out dirt and clay to provide cleaner aggregates.

Wash Plant – A facility where materials are washed.

Water Management – It is the control and movement of water to minimise damage.

 

Sources:

HSE – Quarries – Quarry design