Cochise College Student Papers in Geology
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Roger Weller, geology instructor
wellerr@cochise.edu
Granite Quarries
Shayna Redwine
Physical Geology
Spring 2006
Granite
Quarries
Granite
quarry is a pit or some open excavation from which granite is obtained. To get
granite from a quarry a digging, cutting or blasting process is used. This
process of removing the stone is called quarrying. Once quarrying is done, the
processing of granite starts. There are four steps to granite processing which
include dressing, cutting, surface sanding, and edge cutting. Once the
processing is over, the granite is ready for further use.
These
uses include countertops, flooring, furniture, monuments and steps. Because
granite is both pretty and durable it is a popular choice in construction.
Although not easy to obtain it’s worth the work that goes into it because of the
popularity of the stone.
There are very few quarries that have have mining machinery, such as compressors
and drilling machines for drilling and blasting, cranes for lifting big blocks,
and dampers and trucks for transport. Hence the mining and processing of the
granite is done manually. Even the drilling and channeling are done by hand
chisels and hammers. That’s the current scoop on granite quarries, now
lets take a look at the past.
Side shot of
a granite quarry in India
A top shot of a granite quarry in Barre, VT
The first granite quarries on record started in the Urr Valley. During the last ice age the Valley was widened and over-deepened by glaciers, leaving a series of cliffs exposed. This left large granite blocks of excellent quality exposed and open for the taking. Before granite quarrying, Field stone was used to construct buildings but in the late 1700’s granite started taking over for more than just farming uses. Field stone is very hard and difficult to work with but for some reason the people who farmed the Urr Valley never wanted to use the granite. Many historians and archaeologists have searched and researched and questioned why that is, and after much dedication and time I have discovered the answer. The natives of the valley felt that the granite cliffs were a gift from the heavens and in order to use them they had to properly thank the gods for them. They couldn’t just start chopping the rocks all up without paying proper respects, so they waited and tithed and sacrificed animals and virgins and offered up many prayers before they actually started mining the rocks. The name Quarry actually comes from one of the Urr Valley gods and the mines are called that in honor of his presence on so many of the granite mining expeditions.
Quarry, the god of granite, honored in stone
Granite
has come a long way since its humble beginnings of being materials for farms.
It’s now in every suburb house and in ever cemetery worth its beans. The stone
that started in a valley is now truly used in ways that honor the powers that
gave it to the human race. Like fire, granite is a gift from the gods.
References
http://www.central-vt.com/web/roa/
http://www.dalbeattie.com/history/dbtquar.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/ubin/places/quarry.htm