Granite mining is a challenging and demanding industry, which integrates modern technology with the traditional expertise. The following really interesting video by Discovery Channel shows how granite is harvested from the earth and resurfaced, highlighting both the methods and machinery designers use to get the job done:
1- Site selection and preparation
The first important part is finding a workable granite deposit. The geologists do aerial photography, geophysical studies and field sampling to know about the potential quarry sites. When a site is located, the topsoil and unwanted substances such as rocks and crud left behind during the panning process have to be cleaned from the area to be mined. This stage is important because helps to build the foundation for the mining activities to be effective and safe.
Extraction Techniques
Granite retrieved from quarrying or mining.
Quarrying- This is the most preferred manner wherein the granite which are near the floor of earth are extracted from the floor with the help of diamond cord saws or diamond tipped drills. This method guarantees that huge sheets of granite can be removed intact and afterwards cut into sections. The duration of quarrying operations may range form 10-20 years, A Large Granite deposit would last more than 200 years without any considerable exploitation.
MINING: Granite is found deep in the bosom of the earth and so if the granite is buried deep under the ground, mining is the preferred form of operation. Controlled explosives are used to break the rock, and then drilling and blasting is the method of miners. It puts the granite into large boulders which are subsequently crushed to smaller size with mechanical hammering.
Transporting the Blocks
Granite blocks are extracted and transported to processing plants for further processing. Granite is very dense and HEAVY, so this is usually performed with HUGE trucks that can carry several ton loads. This is an important part of the journey from the quarry to the processing plant and needs to be done in a way that keeps the granite blocks free of damage.
Processing and Finishing
The granite blocks are then sawn into slabs or tiles at the processing facility. The high-precision cutting equipment, the gang saws, and the multi-blade diamond cutters guarantee accurate cutting of each piece. The slabs are smoothed with abrasives to get accurately the shine the customer has chosen. It is here that raw granite emerges into items that can be marketed in their natural beauty and strength.
Challenges & Inventions in Granite Mining
Among them, granite mining is not only difficult, but also in terms of environmental impact. Moving millions of tonnes of rock to reach the gold and firing enormous blasts into the ground can cause considerable changes to the environment – noise, dust and vibration impact communities and the natural environment. Developments in mining technology are working to minimise these impacts, employing more efficient and less invasive methods of extraction.
Knowing the process of granite mining is important when choosing the value and effort esse in reality in the back of this pure stone. The transformation of the raw and rocky block that is the beginning of the life of granite slabs taken straight from the heart of the Earth to the finished and polished slab that is seen in every building and all over the world is a blend of nature's own artfulness and human inventiveness.