Geophysicists and fluids mechanics experts have provided new insight into how tiny ‘bridges’ help particles form aggregates, in a discovery that could have applications in cement production and construction. Read more
Toeing the line: Blasting practices to control quarry floors, correct toes
It is all too easy to blame geology for the toe and elevated floor problems in quarries. Anthony and Calvin Konya explain how the quality of explosives and other factors can contribute to inconsistent, unsatisfactory blast outcomes – while outlining measures that will keep these factors within the correct margins of human error. Read more
UK leaders back UNESCO bid for Welsh slate landscape
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thrown his support behind a bid for a series of slate quarries in northwest Wales to receive UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Read more
Melting rock models predict mechanical origins of earthquakes
Engineering academics have devised a model that can predict the early mechanical behaviours and origins of earthquakes in multiple types of rock. Read more
Doubt over fossil findings could aid future Mars missions
Research that suggests structures found within ancient rocks may be mineral deposits instead of fossils may aid in the search for extra-terrestrial life. Read more
Site presents naturalist with granite keepsake
Tarmac’s Mountsorrel Quarry in Leicestershire, England, recently learnt that Sir David Attenborough has long admired the Charnwood region’s unique pink granite.
In an interview on Read more
Magnesium cement breakthrough could cut construction emissions
Australian researchers have developed a new magnesium-based “green cement” by overcoming water resistance issues that have traditionally limited its use. Read more
Steel: A global product for the US market
In 2018 the USA imposed steel tariffs on all but four countries outside North America (including Australia). Bill Langer explains the importance of the ingredients that make up US steel production – and why tariffs on imported resources don’t perhaps promise the jobs boom that the Trump administration is hoping for … Read more
Quarried stone fertilised soil for Easter Island inhabitants
The quarrying materials for Easter Island’s giant statues are believed to have contributed to the island’s “horticultural sweet spot”, according to US researchers. Read more
Neolithic era quarry discovered in Wales
A Stone Age quarry dating back 6000 years has been unearthed in northern Wales. Read more