Quarry Facts for Kids

A quarry for marble in Greece.

A stone quarry in Soignies, Hainaut (province), Belgium.

A quarry is a special type of open-air mine. It's where people dig into the ground to find and remove useful rocks and minerals. Think of it like a giant outdoor construction site where we get materials from the Earth. Quarries are often used to cut large pieces or blocks of stone from the ground. These big blocks are called dimension stones, and they are used for building all sorts of things, from houses to monuments. When a quarry is no longer used, it sometimes fills with water and becomes a small lake.

One of the biggest granite quarries in the world is found in Vermont, USA. It is operated by a company called Rock of Ages Corporation.

What Rocks Do We Get from Quarries?
How Stone Slabs Are Made
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What Rocks Do We Get from Quarries?

Quarries provide many different kinds of rocks and materials that we use every day. Here are some of the common ones:

Chalk: Used for writing and in some building materials.
China clay: Important for making pottery and paper.
Cinder: A lightweight, porous rock, often used in construction.
Clay: Used to make bricks, tiles, and pottery.
Coal: A fossil fuel used for energy.
Construction aggregate: This includes sand and gravel, which are vital for making concrete and roads.
Coquina: A type of limestone made from shell fragments.
Diabase: A hard, dark rock used for crushed stone.
Gabbro: A dark, coarse-grained rock, similar to basalt.
Granite: A very hard and durable rock, popular for countertops and buildings.
Gritstone: A coarse sandstone, often used for grinding stones.
Gypsum: Used to make plaster and drywall.
Limestone: A common rock used in cement, building, and agriculture.
Marble: A beautiful, often patterned rock used for sculptures and decorative surfaces.
Ores: Rocks that contain valuable minerals, like metals.
Phosphate rock: Used to make fertilizers.
Quartz: A very common mineral, used in glass and electronics.
Sandstone: A sedimentary rock used for building.
Slate: A fine-grained rock that can be split into thin sheets, used for roofing and tiles.

How Stone Slabs Are Made

Many beautiful stones like marble, granite, limestone, and sandstone are cut into large, flat pieces called slabs. These slabs are carefully removed from the quarry. After they are cut, their surfaces are polished. This polishing gives them a shiny or glossy look, called luster.

Polished stone slabs are often cut into smaller tiles or used to make countertops. You can find them in many homes and businesses because they look great and are very strong. Natural stone from quarries is often seen as a luxurious material. It's also very durable, meaning it lasts a long time, which makes it highly desired for many uses.