definition
strict definition
slate quarry
A site where rock from metamorphized clay is extracted from the earth in large blocks or sheets.
A slate quarry is a place where large blocks or sheets of naturally occurring metamorphic rock formed from clay or ash deposits are cut from the earth, mainly for use in construction. Slate is an occasional material for facades and flooring, and is often used as a paving stone.
Slate is recovered as blocks or sheets of metamorphic rock. This differs from digging the fine-grained clay deposits from which some slate originally formed.
The quarry supplies the stone for later use or processing. A place that lays slate paving or cuts delivered slate does not thereby become an extraction site.
slate quarry Photos
Related definitions
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chalk quarry
A site extracting chalk, a soft white calcite material, from an open pit or an underground mine. -
cinder quarry
A site extracting naturally occurring volcanic cinders in bulk for uses such as surfacing, mulch, or material mixtures. -
clay quarry
A site deliberately extracting fine-grained clay deposits for further use, excluding incidental excavation. -
granite quarry
A site extracting naturally occurring granite from the earth on a large scale, usually as blocks or slabs. -
gravel quarry
A site extracting gravel from the ground in bulk, generally with particles 2 to 64 millimeters across. -
gypsum quarry
A site extracting naturally occurring gypsum, calcium sulfate dihydrate, from the earth in bulk. -
limestone quarry
A site where sedimentary calcium rock is extracted from the earth in large blocks or sheets. -
marble quarry
A site where metamorphic carbonate rock is extracted from the earth in large blocks or sheets. -
sand quarry
A site where loose sand is extracted from the ground or a seabed in large quantities. -
sandstone quarry
A site where sedimentary rock of compacted sand is extracted from the earth in large blocks.