Quarrying
Geography: KS3, topic 2.2.3
Quarrying
Limestone is quarried (excavated) in many areas of the UK including Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Somerset.
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
- 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
- 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 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.
Test yourself on Quarrying
Approximately how many people have jobs in quarrying or in related industries?