Recreational Granite Quarry

The little children, clothed in bright summertime colors, are a sharp contrast to the steep slopes of grey rock that rise all around like some primitive castle wall guarding the kids from the barbarian hordes. It's nice to know that even after the mountainside has been demolished and stripped away, there is some way to use and enjoy the leftovers. A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement for large amounts of aggregate in those materials. Many people and municipalities consider quarries to be eyesores and require various abatement methods to address problems with noise, dust, and appearance. One of the more effective and famous examples of successful quarry restoration is Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC, Canada. Many quarries naturally fill with water after abandonment and become lakes. Others are made into landfills or public recreational areas. Water-filled quarries can be very deep with water, often 50 feet or more, that is often surprisingly cold. Unexpectedly cold water can cause a swimmer's muscles to suddenly weaken; it can also cause shock and even hypothermia. Though quarry water is often very clear, submerged quarry stones and abandoned equipment make diving into these quarries extremely dangerous. Several teenagers and young men and women drown in quarries each year. However, many inactive quarries are converted into safe swimming sites. This sound uses the following file from Freesound: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=126576