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Slopes
and banks
There are various different kinds of slopes within a quarry
and one of the primary concerns of the quarry operator is the stability of
these slopes. They include the rock cliffs of the quarry face
, but also screening banks ,
stockpiles of finished materials, waste tips and material used
in restoration.
Quarry faces will be worked in
a series of layers known as benches .
These comprise sections of horizontal ground between successive
quarry faces, each face being usually no more than 15 metres
in height. These levels represent previous quarry
floors in earlier parts of the quarry life. Working in
benches ensures no quarry face forms an excessive height in
a single cliff for safety reasons.
In some cases access needs to
be maintained to these slopes and benches for restoration work,
maintenance, or for the study of geological features. |
Low benching of rock to provide for long-term safe access to
a geological SSSI. |
