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What is Stone Quarrying?
Quarrying is the process of collecting stones from the natural rock surfaces. Site selection and methods used for quarrying for construction works is discussed. Quarrying of stone is completely different from mine. Mine belongs to underground operation only whereas quarry is carried out on exposed surface of natural rocks. So, the stones collected through quarrying is used for various engineering purposes. Stone quarrying is generally done at hilly areas where large quantity of stone is available.Site Selection for Quarrying of Stones
The quarry should be selected based on some conditions as follows.- The site should be near to human living areas where labor and tools are always available, required materials also should be available.
- At least one of type transportation facilities (road or railway or port or all) should be available.
- Clean water source should be available near the quarry site.
- Good quality and quantity of stone should be available.
- The site should be far from permanent structures like bridges, dams etc. because the vibrations due to blasting in the site may cause harm to them.
- Non-living area should be available to dump the refuse obtained in quarrying.
- Proper drainage facility should be available.
- Geological information of site should be read.
Considerations for Quarrying of Stones
After the site selection, some important considerations are to be followed before starting quarrying of stones. Which are as follows:- The rock surface should be properly checked for cracks and fissures. The presence of these may cause planes in the stones, along which they may split. Then, the quarrying will be easy and quick as well as economical.
- Layout should be prepared which contains different stages involved in quarrying operation.
- The machines used should be tested to operate them easily and quickly.
- If the top surface of site contains soft soil, then it should be removed and dumped.
- The removal of stones should be done carefully otherwise there may be chances of landslides or slips which can cause severe damage to the lives of labor.
Methods of Quarrying of Stones
Quarrying can be done by three methods as follows:- Hand tools
- Machine quarrying
- Blasting
Quarrying of Stones using Hand Tools
In case of soft stones or for smaller works, quarrying is done by using hand tools. There are various ways to quarry using hand tools and they are:- Excavating
- Heating
- Wedging