Basalt quarry
Basalt quarry in the clay pit?
Our clay pit “Auf dem Kreuz” is also a basalt quarry. In the history of the deposit's formation, the clay layer was covered by a basalt layer, which served as erosion protection for the clay for millions of years. The basalt layer is between 10 and 40 m thick and was painstakingly removed over decades and relocated as overburden in order to obtain the valuable Kreuzton clay. A few years ago the high quality of the basalt layer was discovered. Our basalt meets all the requirements of TL Gestein-StB 04/07, Appendix F. These regulate the technical delivery conditions for aggregates in road construction. We offer you basalt in various processing forms. Whether basalt boulders, basalt quarry stones, gabion stones, basalt chippings or basalt stones – when it comes to basalt, Theodor Stephan KG is your contact. Simply contact us, we will be happy to advise you on our product range.
Environmentally-friendly mining in the basalt quarry
Our primary goal is to treat nature's treasures responsibly. This is why basalt is extracted in our basalt quarry in a preserve and environmentally friendly manner. We are aware that any extraction of raw materials means a significant impact on the landscape, flora and fauna. That's why we not only coordinate the procedure in our basalt quarry with external environmental planners, residents, authorities, nature conservationists and landowners, but also take a responsible approach to the mining itself.
Resource-saving mining in the basalt quarry is a matter of course for us. During both extraction and processing, we ensure that dust, pollutant and noise emissions are minimized and we adhere to applicable limit values. We are also constantly modernizing our processing plants and construction machinery. During mining, ongoing operations are supplemented by ecological operational support which takes into account the needs of particularly sensitive species and water protection. This avoids unnecessary use of space and makes an important contribution to environmental protection. Of course, the already exploited areas in the basalt quarry will be recultivated and even ecologically improved compared to the original state.
How is basalt mined in our quarry?
First, we expose the valuable rock by removing the overlying weathering debris. Now it's time to dismantle the basalt quarry. This is usually only possible in a meaningful way through the use of explosives. This is the only way the rock can be efficiently loosened and pre-crushed. For this purpose, a digital survey of the area in which mining is taking place is carried out so that drilling holes can be planned. These are then inserted meters deep into the rock using modern large-hole drilling equipment. Before the blasting takes place in the basalt quarry, the drill holes are filled with exactly the planned amounts of explosive and the explosive charge is wired up. The use of modern explosives is just as important as precise planning.
After blasting, the pile is picked up with a modern crawler excavator and sent straight to processing. There, the raw material obtained in the basalt quarry goes through several crushing and sieving processes, so that we can offer our customers the basalt obtained in different shapes, grain sizes and sieving lines.