What Is Quarrying?
Quarrying involves working on the surface of the earth to extract minerals and other materials. It is the process of disintegrating rocks, removing sand, gravel, or other minerals from the ground as raw materials for construction and other purposes. In Malaysia, the task is usually carried out by a quarry company.
Centuries ago, quarries were carried out with hammers, chisels, and picks made of stone or metals such as iron and bronze. Today, big pieces of rocks are blasted away with heavy machines. After which, large trucks are used to haul and move the rocks out of the pit and to the processing plant where they are broken down into different sizes.
Different regions have different names for quarries. For example, open pit, pit, opencast mine, and surface mine are alternative names for quarries. In some regions, like within the UK, the largest quantity of mineral extracted by quarrying is known as “aggregates”.
Is a Quarry the Same as a Mine?
In some parts of the world, the word quarrying is used interchangeably with mining. However, there are slight differences between a mine and a quarry.
A quarry is a place where natural stones are extracted to produce aggregates, blue metals, or blue rocks. In this location, building stones or dimension stones (as derived from the Latin ‘quadraria’) are created.
Meanwhile, mining refers to places where minerals were extracted to produce coal and metals. In short, a mine is an underground while a quarry is a site of mineral extraction without a roof.
Materials Produced From Quarries
Typically, quarries produce “aggregates” including mini rocks, sand, and gravel for construction. Quarries produce the following materials:
- Salt
- Kaolin
- Potash
- Coal
- China Clay
- Gypsum
- Ball Clays
- Silica sand
- Common Clays
- Chemical grade Limestone
Quarries are often associated with processing plants with the most important ones as follows:
- Ready-mixed-concrete plants
- Concrete block and pipe work
- Bituminous road-making materials
- Ready-mixed-concrete plants
- Plaster/plasterboard factories
- Coating plants to produce asphalt
- Cement and lime burning kilns
- Brickworks
- Pottery work
Why We Need Quarries
The importance of quarries cannot be overemphasized. The materials produced by quarrying are essential to our lives and daily needs. For example:
- Provide construction materials to build roads
- Stone is an essential component used in the construction of buildings, homes, schools, hospitals, etc.
- Delivers vital minerals to agriculture
- Quarrying plays a vital role in a country’s economy
- Provides much-needed employment opportunities in communities where jobs are difficult to come by
- Lakes within active quarries can provide essential habitat for animals
- Quarrying supports the generation of electricity
The Size of the Quarry Industry
The quarry industry is huge; it is a big business in almost all countries. China is the world’s biggest producer of aggregates, accounting for over 40% of the total market. The Asia Pacific is the largest region of supply. The region accounts for approximately 65% of the total market in 2017.
Careers Available in the Quarry Industry
The quarry company and quarry supplier in Malaysia employ many employees to get the job done. Quarrying is a dynamic industry. Some of the positions provided by the quarry industry include:
- Transportation and logistics
- Operations
- Information technology
- Administration
- Finance
- Environment
- Sales and marketing
- Engineering
The quarry and aggregates industry employs approximately 4 million people globally.
In a Nutshell
Look around, you will see quarry trails that allow people to enjoy great outdoor activities such as biking and quarry gardens that serve as an important landmark.
In fact, the demand for processing natural resources like rocks, sand, and gravel from the earth and using them for developmental purposes is increasing. In view of this, sustainable quarry industry, an effective and continuous concept of development, is of utmost importance in ensuring that the industry continues to meet the need of the future generation.
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