Grow, Mine or Quarry?

If something cannot be grown, then it has to be dug out of the ground.

Quarry products are essential for developing a society as they are quite literally the building blocks of modern civilisation. As a result of its varied geology, Northern Ireland has a diverse aggregates base and the construction industry - accounting for about 12% of the economy - has developed around it. Aggregate includes sands, gravels and the crushed rock used in the local manufacture of cement, concrete products and road surfacing materials. Production of these primary construction materials will continue for the foreseeable future.

Did you know:

• A new house requires about 50 tonnes of aggregates?
• About 14 tonnes of aggregates are needed per head of population per year?
• A typical family indirectly needs three lorry loads of aggregate every year?
• Northern Ireland requires around 24 million tonnes of aggregate each year?

Lyle, P., McKeever, P. and Earls, G., 2010. Between Rocks & Hard Places, Discovering Northern Ireland's Landscapes. In: Bazley, T., Earth Science Ireland ed. Northern Ireland: W & G Baird.