Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Quarrying

Limestone is quarried (excavated) in many areas of the UK including Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Somerset.

Benefits of quarrying

Benefits of quarrying

  • Limestone is an important rock economically as it is used for building, in making cement and in the steel industry.
  • Quarrying limestone brings employment to areas where there are few opportunities.
    • Approximately 30,000 people have jobs in quarrying or in related industries.
Drawbacks of quarrying

Drawbacks of quarrying

  • Quarrying is unsustainable as the limestone is a non-renewable resource (it will eventually run out).
  • Habitats for wildlife are destroyed by quarrying.
  • Agricultural land can be lost, e.g. at Tunstead Quarry in Buxton.
  • Quarrying is responsible for visual, noise and air pollution as well as problems caused by the heavy lorries transporting the rock.
Reducing impact

Reducing impact

  • Noise pollution can be reduced by only blasting at certain times or by surrounding the quarry with large earth banks.
  • The visual impact of the quarry can be reduced by landscaping and planting trees around the edges.
    • This will encourage wildlife and plant life. Some disused quarries are now nature reserves.
Disused quarries

Disused quarries

  • Disused quarries could be used as:
    • Landfills.
    • Land for car parks or housing.
  • Disused quarries can be allowed to flood to use for water sports for tourism.
    • For example, the National Diving and Activity Centre is a large flooded quarry in Gloucestershire.
Jump to other topics
1

Geography Skills

2

Geology of the UK

3

Geography of the World

4

Development

5

Weather & Climate

6

The World of Work

7

Natural Resources

8

Rivers

9

Coasts

10

Glaciers

11

Tectonics

12

Climate Change

13

Global Population & Inequality

14

Urbanisation

15

Ecosystems

16

Life in an Emerging Country

17

Analysis of Africa

18

Analysis of India

19

Analysis of the Middle East

20

Analysis of Bangladesh

21

Analysis of Russia

Practice questions on Quarrying

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Uses of limestone:Fill in the list
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
Answer all questions on Quarrying

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium