Rock Quarry Research Articles

Toward an Iconography of American Labor: Work, Workers, and the Work Ethic in American Art, 1930-1945

In America, a certain reverence for work together with an abiding faith in the work ethic have played a significant role in shaping self and civic identity from the Republican era of the early nineteenth century to the present day. Indeed, it is a commonplace assumption that what we do as Americans is often the most outstanding indicator of who we are. Moreover, the meaning of work as a crucial, moral link between individuals and public life is so strong that it might almost be considered a calling that ties individual Americans to the larger, national, community that is the United States. It is ironic, then, that the history of American art reveals a paucity of both public memorials and private objects focused on and laborers. Even during periods when issues of labor and capital, work and wages were central to the nation's political and social life, such as in the late nineteenth century, art which focused on work and workers was relatively sparse.' An exception is found in the 1930s, when American artists ranging in stylistic diversity from regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton to social realist cartoonist William Gropper, responded to the crisis of the Great Depression with an extensive iconography celebrating work and workers. In both their private paintings and their public commissions, these modern artists generally depicted American wage laborers as heroic figures of action and autonomy, and thus as exemplars of the work ethic. In such New Deal agencies as the Works Progress Administration/Federal Art Project, and the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture, an iconography of was courted by American arts administrators, who recognized the powerful social and political import of upbeat images of rugged, dynamic workers during the severe unemployment and cultural malaise of the Great Depression. Leo Raiken's 1938-1939 Rock Quarry, for example, a mural study that was originally painted in a section competition for a U.S. Post Office in Westerly, Rhode Island, is a perfect example (figure 1).2 Emphasizing the strength, individuality, determination, and utility of the workingmen of Westerly's granite industry, from bluecollar drillers and stonecutters to professional-class engineers and architects, Raiken's sketch extolled work as a symbol of community, collectivity, and shared experience. Twelve sturdy figures were Robert N. Bellah et al, Habits of the Heart, Individualism and Commitment in American Life (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), 66; and Herbert G. Gutman et al, Who BuiltAmerica (New York: Pantheon, 1989), 561. 2. See Karal Ann Marling, Wall-to-Wall America: A Cultural History of Post Office Murals in the Great Depression (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1982), 161-70, for a full analysis of the Westerly post office mural compe-

Controlling erosion with riprap : H. H. Fisher, ASTM Standardization News, 24(3), 1996, pp 22–27

There are approximately 3.5 million miles of streams in the U.S. and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reported that streambank erosion is occurring on approximately half a million miles of channels. Since soil is not as durable as rock, it has to be protected from erosion. The two most common ways to protect soil are with vegetation and riprap. Riprap is the term given to loose blocks of rock placed on soil to absorb the energy of moving water and thereby decrease downslope movement of soil. Riprap is placed along streambanks, in manmade waterways, on the shorelines of lakes and oceans, on the faces of dams, and on construction sites. It can be used in combination with geotextiles (fabrics placed against soil). Uniform pieces of riprap can be placed in gabions (wire baskets) which are stacked on each other. Riprap must be heavy and large enough to withstand the forces of erosion, stable so as to remain in place, durable and long-lasting, and it must be economically justifiable. The sources of riprap are most often commercial rock quarries.

Geological and other influences on the design of containment systems in hard rock quarries : D. C. Mann, in: Engineering geology of waste disposal, ed S.P. Bentley, (Geological Society of London; Engineering Geology Special Publication, 11), 1996, pp 133–139

Geological and other influences on the design of containment systems in hard rock quarries : D. C. Mann, in: Engineering geology of waste disposal, ed S.P. Bentley, (Geological Society of London; Engineering Geology Special Publication, 11), 1996, pp 133–139

Geological and other influences on the design of containment systems in hard rock quarries

Abstract It is common practice in the UK to restore abandoned quarries by landfilling. Modern landfill facilities are designed on the principle of containment of wastes, leachate and gases, but, in hard rock quarries, there are particular problems which must be overcome. This paper describes the engineering design of the containment systems proposed for use in three hard rock quarries located in different parts of the UK. At each of the three sites the design has been influenced by the local geology and hydrogeology, and the use of indigenous materials has been a priority. The regulatory authorities have a statutory responsibility in the licensing of new landfill facilities, but are becoming increasingly involved in the early planning of these sites. Their influence on the evolution of the three designs is assessed by comparing the three containment systems.

About this title

This volume covers a wide spectrum of activities in the field of waste disposal. These activities range from design of new landfills and containment properties of natural clays to investigation, hazard assessment and remediation of existing landfills. Consideration is given to design criteria for hard rock quarries when used for waste disposal. In addition, an entire section concerns the geotechnics of underground repositories. This covers such topics as deep drilling, in situ stress measurement, rock mass characterization, groundwater flows and barrier design. Engineering Geology of Waste Disposal examines, in detail, the active role of engineering geologists in the design of waste disposal facilities on UK and international projects. The book provides an authoritative mix of overviews and detailed case histories. The extensive spectrum of papers will be of practical value to those geologists, engineers and environmental scientists who are directly involved with waste disposal.

Remote sensing and GIS applied to rock quarry site selection : G. Bonifazi, R. Casagrande, P. Massacci & F. Volpe, ITC Journal, 1994-1, 1994, pp 48–51

Remote sensing and GIS applied to rock quarry site selection : G. Bonifazi, R. Casagrande, P. Massacci & F. Volpe, ITC Journal, 1994-1, 1994, pp 48–51

Application of GPR to detecting and mapping cracks in rock slopes

Rock falls and the collapse of base rock constitute serious problems in road maintenance and disaster prevention. Progressive cracking within base rock is considered to be a practical cause of collapse. In estimating the danger of base rock collapse, it is very important to detect beforehand not only the surface distribution of cracks but also the extent of internal cracking. Ground probing radar (GPR) measurements were carried out on the vertical wall of a welded tuff rock quarry with the objective of studying the applicability of GPR to mapping the distribution and continuity of cracks inside the rock. By using GPR, reflected waves from cracks within the base rock were detected to a depth of about 4 m. By comparing the GPR records with the condition of cracks visible at the rock surface, it was also confirmed that the electromagnetic waves were most strongly reflected by cracks containing water.

Application of GPR to detecting and mapping cracks in rock slopes

Rock falls and the collapse of base rock constitute serious problems in road maintenance and disaster prevention. Progressive cracking within base rock is considered to be a practical cause of collapse. In estimating the danger of base rock collapse, it is very important to detect beforehand not only the surface distribution of cracks but also the extent of internal cracking. Ground probing radar (GPR) measurements were carried out on the vertical wall of a welded tuff rock quarry with the objective of studying the applicability of GPR to mapping the distribution and continuity of cracks inside the rock. By using GPR, reflected waves from cracks within the base rock were detected to a depth of about 4 m. By comparing the GPR records with the condition of cracks visible at the rock surface, it was also confirmed that the electromagnetic waves were most strongly reflected by cracks containing water.

The internal structure of the Villamayor sandstone as it affects its use as a construction material

Villamayor sandstone has been widely used as a building material for buildings of interest to art history in Salamanca (Spain). The differences in the quality of this material, displaying different kinds of technological behaviour, are reflected by the deterioration of the buildings. We studied the mineralogy and internal structure of the stone in order to explain how far it affects its use as a construction material. X-ray diffraction, scanning differential calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, mercury porosimetry, backscattered electron scanning image and laser diffraction for particle size analysis were the techniques used to characterize the quarried rock samples. The results obtained showed that these stones have two types of internal structure. Illite predominates over smectite in the cementing clay of one of these stones and the diameter of the pores is smaller than 10 μm. Smectite predominates in the other stone and the diameter of the pores is larger than 10 μm, while the cohesion between particles is less than in the former. Each of these types with their particular characteristics accounts for and is consistent with the variations observed in their behaviour as a building material. This understanding helps to forecast their potential weatherability.

Engineering properties of lateritic soils from Khon Kaen and its vicinity, Thailand

Problems of local construction materials deficiency have for a long time been encountered in northeastern Thailand. Appropriate rock quarries are difficult to attain owing to the geological conditions of the region. However, lateritic soils are extensively and economically available. They have a long history of use as local engineering materials for various building constructions but their potential as road and airfield embankments or fills for small earth dams and other engineering foundations needs to be further investigated. This paper describes some significant engineering properties of lateritic soils obtained from the investigations on 39 lateritic soil samples collected from 37 potential deposits in Khon Kaen and its vicinity. The laboratory analyses conducted in this investigation include Los Angeles abrassion test, grading analysis, Atterberg limits, standard compaction, C.B.R., slake durability, and pH of soils. The assessment of these materials in regard to road construction and other engineering practice is discussed and a summary of the results is presented.

Alewives Avoid High-Frequency Sound

Abstract We studied the response of the alewife Alosa pseudoharengus to high-frequency sound to develop an acoustic system for preventing fish from entering power plant intakes. Four groups of alewives were subjected to different frequencies of sounds ranging from 110 to 150 kHz at sound pressure levels (SPLs, given in decibels [dB] in reference to 1 μPa) ranging from 125 to 180 dB. Each group of 20 or 25 fish was tested in a cage that was suspended in a flooded rock quarry. During the day, alewives schooled and strongly avoided pulsed tones (500 ms pulses, 1,000 ms apart) of 110 and 125 kHz at or above 175 dB, a continuous tone of 125 kHz at 172 dB, and pulsed broadband sound between 117 and 133 kHz at or above 157 dB. Although alewives habituated to tones, they avoided pulsed broadband sound at 163 dB more consistently. In one test, alewives did not habituate to this sound after 150 min of repeated exposure, The more consistent response to the broadband sound was probably due to the range of frequencies...

Further paleomagnetic results from the Builth Wells Ordovician Inlier, Wales

A characteristic magnetization has been isolated from 18 sites in Middle Ordovician igneous and sedimentary rocks from the Builth inlier, Wales. Two conglomerate tests demonstrate that the characteristic magnetization in two of the volcanic units was acquired early, perhaps during initial emplacement. Six sites from the northern and central parts of the inlier give a mean direction of D=153.8°, I=69.8° (k=45.8; α95=10°) that passes a regional fold test. However, 12 sites from the southern end of the inlier, in and near the Llanelwedd quarry, yield a significantly different direction after correction for local tilt: D=176.4°, I=44.5° (k=42.4; α95=6.7°). The Llanelwedd quarry data are anomalous with respect to both results from the northern parts of the inlier, and those obtained from approximately coeval rocks from the Shelve inlier. We have searched for an explanation for the discrepancy between the magnetization directions of the two areas and have now ruled out some possibilities, including superimposed magnetization components at one of the two areas. The Llanelwedd quarry lies within a wedge of dominantly andesitic volcanic rocks that appear only locally, and which are overlain by two unconformities that are also not present elsewhere in the inlier. One possible explanation for the anomalous nature of the Llanelwedd quarry magnetization is that the strata were not horizontal at the time of magnetization, either due to early volcano‐tectonic tilting or primary dips on the flanks of a volcano. Another possibility is that the Llanelwedd quarry rocks were extruded rapidly enough that the geocentric coaxial dipole field hypothesis cannot be applied. Results from Cenozoic volcanic rocks from the western United States suggest that even highly anomalous fields can be preserved virtually unchanged over a number of separate flow events. We currently regard this to be the most viable explanation for the anomalous nature of the Llanelwedd quarry magnetization. We conclude that the data from the 6 northern sites represent the best estimate of the Middle Ordovician axial dipole field for the inlier.

Reduction of costs and environmental impacts in quarry rock blasting : Gama, C D Proc 3rd International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, Brisbane, 26–31 Aug 1990P5–8. Publ Parkville: AusIMM, 1990

Reduction of costs and environmental impacts in quarry rock blasting : Gama, C D Proc 3rd International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, Brisbane, 26–31 Aug 1990P5–8. Publ Parkville: AusIMM, 1990

Method for determining the surface area of quarried rocks : Garga, V K; Townsend, R; Hansen, D Geotech Test JV14, N1, March 1991, P35–45

Method for determining the surface area of quarried rocks : Garga, V K; Townsend, R; Hansen, D Geotech Test JV14, N1, March 1991, P35–45

Seismic Resolvability of Individual Sand-Filled Channels in the Lower Pennsylvanian Jackfork Formation, Arkansas: Model Applicability for the Gulf Coast

ABSTRACT Measurements on width and thickness of individual channel sandstone bodies in the Lower Pennsylvanian Jackfork Formation at Haig Quarry (upper-middle fan) and at Big Rock Quarry (middle fan), Arkansas, provide a model to test the seismic resolvability of such submarine fan channels at various depths in the Gulf of Mexico. These channelized sandstone bodies, as well as their bounding facies types were assigned porosity and density values, consistent with typical Gulf Coast counterparts, in order to obtain reflection coefficients at the top and base of the channels at both locations. Two hypothetical cases of vertical seismic resolvability were examined, i.e., a shallow case (2000 feet depth) and a deep case (10,000 feet depth). At neither location could these channels be seismically resolved (/4), but they could be seismically detected (/30) from their channel axis to within 6 feet of pinchout in the shallow case, and only in the thickest part of the channel in the deep case. Concave-upwards raypath focusing should increase the amplitude of the base channel reflection. Horizontal seismic resolution is affected in the deep case due to the limited areal dimensions of these channels. Although these Jackfork Formation channels do not reflect the scale of Gulf Coast Tertiary and younger submarine fans, this study points to one of the potential pitfalls of seismic stratigraphy when similar fans are interpreted, unconstrained by ground truth. End_of_Record - Last_Page 405-------

A New Coring Fluid for Vuggy Carbonates

Summary. A salt-weighted coring fluid that contains a biodegradable cotton-fiber product, normally used to control lost circulation, was used to obtain 1,048 ft [319.4 m] of carbonate core from a well in the Arun field in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The vuggy core was free of mud solids and required special cleaning only to remove salt deposits. This fluid should be beneficial in coring other vuggy carbonates, and modifications should make the fluid usable for both high-permeability and unconsolidated sandstones in which mud-solids invasion is a problem. Introduction Accurate core-analysis measurements cannot be obtained when core samples are invaded by mud solids. In vuggy carbonates, such as some portions of the giant gas-condensate Arun field, drilling mud enters the pore space during coring. Mud solids occupy PV that formation fluids occupy in the PV that formation fluids occupy in the reservoir, resulting in erroneously low porosity measurements. Mud solids may also porosity measurements. Mud solids may also decrease permeability by lodging in pore throats, and the clay minerals in the mud solids can distort special core-analysis measurements such as capillary pressure. Whole-mud invasion in the Arun lime-stone can be so deep that, in some cases, vugs in the center of 3.5-in. [8.9-cm] -diameter cores are completely filled with mud solids. For example, destructive tests showed that mud-solids contamination reduced the porosity of one 112-ft [34-m] interval of vuggy core by an average of 1.2 porosity units (p.u.). The average porosity of this core interval was 14.7 p.u. porosity of this core interval was 14.7 p.u. (ranging from 6.0 to 19.7 p.u.), and the median permeability was 119 md (ranging from 1.6 to 4,854 md). The problems with mud contamination were not associated with a single mud composition, but instead correlated with the degree of vugginess of the core. Vuggy cores obtained with a water-based polymer system were as badly contaminated as those obtained with an oil-based system. Techniques used to try to remove mud solids from the core samples included solvent flushes, ultrasonic agitation, water jetting, and phase-transition (ammonia) cleaning. These techniques removed only near-surface contamination, however, leaving mud solids in the interior of the core. Cooperative research between Mobil Oil Indonesia Inc., Mobil E and P Services Inc., and Mobil R and D Corp. determined that a salt rather than a barite-weighted coring fluid would be less damaging to the core and that adding the cotton-fiber product to this fluid would decrease dynamic filtration through the core. This paper describes how laboratory tests were used to investigate the mechanisms of whole-mud invasion and then used to test the new coring fluid that was designed to prevent invasion. Invasion Mechanism Analysis of Arun core indicates that the large vugs inherent to the formation create a problem. Bulk volume measurements are problem. Bulk volume measurements are erroneous because mercury easily enters the vuggy porosity. Compressibility measurements are in error because the jacketing material creeps into the pore space as a function of pressure. Porosity and permeability measurements are incorrect because the mud solids and ground formation rock collect in the vugs during coring. To evaluate core-cleaning techniques, samples of vuggy quarry rock from Austin, TX, had to be contaminated for use in laboratory experiments. Reproducing field contamination, however, was very difficult. Initially, clean, dry, vuggy cores were saturated at 1,000 psi [6895 kPa) with a 13.0-lbm/gal [1557-kg/m3] lignosulfonate fluid representative of that used in the Arun coring operation. This saturation procedure is considered "static" exposure of the core to the fluid. X-ray computer-aided tomography (CT) scans of these samples did not show the mud solids observed in cores from the Arun field. The vugs were contaminated by mud-solid residue only when the drilling fluid was thermally degraded at 340 degrees F [171 degrees C]. Thermal degradation was eliminated as the contamination mechanism because the Arun cores were never exposed to temperatures as high as those needed to produce mud degradation in the laboratory produce mud degradation in the laboratory experiments. Contamination of the vuggy cores by static exposure to the lignosulfonate fluid was abandoned and efforts focused on contamination by a "dynamic-filtration" process. In both drilling and coring operations, it is common practice to maintain higher pressure in the wellbore than exists in the pressure in the wellbore than exists in the formation to control the well (i.e., to prevent a kick or blowout). Fluid transfer from the wellbore to the formation during the actual drilling or coring processes, called dynamic filtration, is caused by this pressure differential. JPT P. 474

Influence of an artificial reef on the surrounding infaunal community

Artificial reefs have been constructed throughout the world, but their effects on adjacent soft-bottom communities are largely unknown. In December 1986, we investigated the influence of Pendleton Artificial Reef (PAR) in Southern California on the abundance of infauna in the surrounding sand bottom. PAR was constructed in 1980 of quarry rock placed in eight piles, or modules. The artificial reef altered the grain-size distribution of sediments around the reef; sediments close to the modules were coarser than those 10 or 20 m away from the modules. Densities of one of the two most common species, the polychaetePrionospio pygmaeus, were lower near the reef, perhaps due to foraging by reef-associated predators or because the habitat near the reef was less suitable. We found no evidence that foraging by reef-associated fishes caused a widespread reduction in infaunal densities near the reef, and in fact the other most common taxon,Spiophanes spp., had higher densities near the reef. The most conspicuous effect of the artificial reef concerned the tube-dwelling wormDiopatra ornata, which only occurred in close association with the modules. In addition, total infaunal density and the densities of decapods, echinoderms and sipunculids were higher withinD. ornata beds than outside the beds. These results indicate that the densities of some species were enhanced, and others depressed, around the reef, but that the overall effect of the artificial reef on the surrounding infauna was limited to a small area near the modules.

Petrography, mechanical properties and crushing energy of quarried rocks (in French): Lebas, S; Maldonado, A; Denis, A; Tourenq, C Proc 5th International Congress International Association of Engineering Geology, Buenos Aires, 20–25 October 1986V3, P1653–1661. Publ Rotterdam: A A Balkema, 1986

Petrography, mechanical properties and crushing energy of quarried rocks (in French): Lebas, S; Maldonado, A; Denis, A; Tourenq, C Proc 5th International Congress International Association of Engineering Geology, Buenos Aires, 20–25 October 1986V3, P1653–1661. Publ Rotterdam: A A Balkema, 1986

Complex Dielectric Interpretation of 20-MHz Electromagnetic Logs

Summary An interpretation technique for the 20 × 106-cycle/sec [20-MHz] dielectric log based on the complex Lichtenecker-Rother (LR) equation is proposed. The equation is shown to be an adequate model of quarry rocks and is applied to field logs from the California coastal basins. The results are significantly better than those obtained with other techniques. The major disadvantage is that core data are required for calibration in each reservoir.

Millstone making in England

Since the author's paper 'Millstones, Quarries and Millstone Makers' published in 1977 a good deal of interest has been taken in the subject, and much further information has come to light. The present paper is therefore an updating of the previous one as far as England is concerned, and tries to avoid any extensive repetition of information and ideas given there. It also avoids discussion of millstone making in the Peak District of Derbyshire since that very special area was dealt with in some detail in a recent paper in this journal. A general account is first given of the development of the millstone industry, particularly during the last two or three centuries, and its division into two distinct parts: (1) the making of monolithic millstones from indigenous rock in rural quarries and quarry workshops, and (2) the fabrication of millstones from imported small pieces of French burr-stone in urban factories. The import and export trades associated with these activities, and the cost of millstones, are discussed. Augmented data on English quarries which made monolithic millstones (outside the Peak District of Derbyshire) is presented, and it is found that none of these quarries are in the south of England. Finally, data on the many firms of urban millstone makers is given and discussed where that previously published can be significantly augmented, and it is mainly for the north of England that this is the case. (There was millstone making of both kinds in Scotland too, but this has been separately discussed. Further work on millstone making in Wales is in hand under the auspices of Mr Owen Ward and the Welsh Mills Group.)