Quarries in UAE

Quarries are large excavated sites which are used to extract natural minerals such as granite, minerals, limestone, marble, coal and other similar minerals. These minerals are supplied to construction sites and different manufacturing industries. Quarries are also known as surface mines, pits, open pits or opencast mines. They are excavated by engineers after analysing the site of extraction for the presence of minerals or resources. The extracted stone and minerals are further processed in different ways to produce building stone or dimensional stone. The finished materials are sent to building construction companies and furniture manufacturing companies and interior designers. The finished material is further processed by polishing and cutting them into well-crafted slabs which are used in kitchens as countertops or for other similar applications.

Quarries produce sand, gravel and crushed rock for construction based applications. These materials are also known as aggregates. Some prime minerals extracted by underground mining are gypsum, salt and potassium. Quarries also produce coal, chemical grade limestone, gypsum, common clays, china clay, ball clay and silica sand. They supply raw materials to industrial power plants, construction sites and manufacturing industries. These materials can be used to create ready-mix concrete, coating paints, asphalt, bitumen, cement and lime burning kilns. Quarry extracts are also used in the creation of concrete blocks, pipe works, brickworks, pottery and plasterboard manufacturing. Surface mines play an important role in our everyday lives as they provide raw materials for construction operations. Some quarry extracts provide vital minerals for agricultural applications and electricity generation.

Quarrying is a mechanical surface excavation method for the extraction of dimensional stones. It produces rectangular blocks of rock that are roughly shaped and sized. They resemble open pits but the faces are generally lower and vertical. It is a highly selective, small-scale and low productivity method. Quarry sand is produced by crushing rock produce materials to widen the gap between the system effectively. This sand can be put to good use as it can be used to protect rivers from environmental degradation. Quarry sand is stiff and prevents soil erosion to a considerable extent.

There are four types of stone quarrying which include open pits, underground mining, boulder quarries and aggregate quarries. One of the oldest stones which are extracted is dimension stone. This stone is increasingly used through the centuries due to their solid design and is commonly used to carve and design statues and fountains. They are also used in paving roads and manufacturing curbing. Dimension stone is also used for electrical switchboards and blackboards. Another popular Quarried material is the stone aggregate. Stone aggregates are produced by crushing rocks of different sizes in specific patterns. They are widely used in breakwaters, riprap, road foundation, chicken grit, antacids and other similar uses. Old stone quarries produce a large number of aggregates rather than dimensional stone. Open pit quarries area used to extract commercial stone aggregates and other minerals. Some popular locations to find Quarries in the UAE are Tamouh tower, Marina Square, Reem Island, Manama road, Kadra, Fujairah trade centre and Al Tawayaeen.