What is quarrying?
The term ‘quarrying’ is often associated with a place where natural stone is extracted to produce building stone or dimension stone and the name is thought to be derived from the latin ‘quadraria’ which described such a place.
The term ‘mining’ was similarly associated with places where minerals were extracted to produce metals or coal.
Today, a quarry is any surface working where minerals are extracted but may also be known around the world as ‘surface mine’, ‘open pit’ or ‘opencast mine’.
Within the UK, the largest quantity of mineral extracted by quarrying is used for construction and known as "aggregates".
More information on quarrying can be obtained from Quarry Products Association and MIRO