Blasting at Monk Quarry Products

What is Quarrying and how does it work?

Quarrying is the extraction of natural resources from the earth, typically using surface functions. Essentially, a ‘quarry pit’ is excavated in order to gain access to the rock deposit. Large pieces of rock are fractured by controlled blasting after the vertical face of the rock is exposed. The dislodged rock is excavated, crushed and screened into various aggregates, crushed rock and rubble products which are then sorted by size and class before being stockpiled for sale.

What is Blasting?

Where possible, we rip and push rock with large machinery. However, this is not practical if the rock is too hard. In this case, the controlled blasting used by Monk Quarry Products is the most efficient method for extracting ‘hard’ rock out of the ground. Explosives are inserted into the holes that have been made in the rock in a certain pattern during the precise and well-planned process of blasting. The explosives are then set off in a specific order that is intended to increase rock-breaking effectiveness while reducing noise, vibration, and dust. One benefit of blasting is that it reduces the need for using our heavy machinery to retrieve the rock, which lowers noise levels and greenhouse gas emissions.

Blast Management

Our Blast Management Plan outlines the specifics of what we do and how we do it. Blast control is a highly regulated aspect of our business. To prevent the possible consequences of blasting on nearby houses, buildings, and public spaces, strict national safety rules are in place. The applicable regulatory authority’s specified limitations for blasting activities must be adhered to, and they must be far lower than vibration levels that might result in structural or aesthetic damage. Sensitive ground and air vibration monitoring equipment is used at various locations to record and verify the required blast parameters.

Will I feel the blast?

You could hear or feel some vibration related to blasting depending on how close you live to our quarry site and to the blast location on the day. The energy used in blasting to move and break rocks can also cause some noise and dust in addition to vibration. These impacts will be less noticeable the further you are from the blast. Due to the tight operational requirements of our quarry, every effort is made to lessen the effects on nearby sensitive receptors.

How often do you need to blast and when will you be finished?

There is no expiry date with a Work Authority and extraction can proceed until the resource is removed from within the extraction limits. The time this will take is generally dependent on demand for the resources produced, volume of blasted rock and/or the capacity of the equipment used for processing. At the current rate of extraction we estimate another 5 to 7 years to go. This could be less if demand and processing increases which may mean blasting on a more frequent basis.