How granite is mined. Where and how granite is mined in Russia Granites and mineral deposits

The extraction of stones created by nature itself in the field of industrial production is carried out in many countries around the world. Such countries include France, Germany, Norway, Spain, Italy and, of course, Russia. Such stones include granite, marble and many others, which are used mainly for decorative finishing of buildings and structures, as well as their interiors. The use of such materials in construction gives it a richer look and a certain sophistication, which has become very popular recently.

But unlike the extraction of other natural materials, granite extraction technology has many aspects due to which this production will produce only high-quality material. The first and most important factor in the extraction of granite stone is that it must be removed with maximum preservation of the blocks that nature has built. That is why all granite mining technology must be as gentle as possible in order for this condition to be met. Moreover, this applies to both the removal of the material itself and its loading, transportation and storage. If the material was somehow damaged during its extraction, then these defects cannot be hidden by any equipment, and it simply cannot be realized. Making a design requires special attention. For example, .

Today in production there is more than one method of extracting granite, which include explosive, mechanical and thermal. The technology for marble extraction is constructed in the same way.

Granite mining technology The simplest and, accordingly, the cheapest method is the explosive method, in which a hole called a hole is drilled in the upper rocks and an explosive shell is placed in it, which explodes the rock. Among the fragments, those that are suitable in size are selected, and pieces that are too large are split and the entire stone is transported to production. But the use of this method is good only due to the fact that it is cheap; in all other respects it is not very good. This is explained by the fact that during the explosion, a huge amount of granite turns into small fragments that are not suitable for further production. Such fragments account for almost thirty percent of the material obtained. Also, another very significant drawback is that even in large pieces of granite, microcracks appear during an explosion, which do not have the best effect on the quality of the material. The next method of extracting granite is the blast hole method without the use of explosives. In this way, you can obtain a high-strength material that will cost many times more than what was mined using explosives.

This method in turn is divided into the following types:

Splitting with mechanical and hydraulic wedges;
Splitting using special hydrosplitting devices;
Complete drilling of the massif;
Extracting rock using non-explosive mixtures to minimize the appearance of microcracks.

The granite mining technology in the latter version, just like in the explosive mining of granite, a hole is drilled, but instead of explosives, a reservoir is placed inside, into which air is subsequently pumped under high pressure, which pushes the rock out. But unlike the first method, this method allows you to reduce the number of microcracks that occur in the rock during mining.

The most effective and therefore expensive method is to extract granite using diamond cutting. At the same time, practically no microcracks occur in the material, which makes the source material highly durable. But in order to use this mining method, you need to be confident in the deposit where this stone is mined, so that the costs of its extraction will pay off in the future.

The modern construction industry offers consumers a huge amount of materials that can speed up, facilitate, and embellish the result of repair work or the construction of new premises. However, natural stone has not yet given up its positions. It remains still in demand and popular. What can we say about our ancestors, who knew about the advantages of natural materials, perhaps much better than us. It’s not for nothing that they say that granite is a mineral: thanks to it, architectural masterpieces and unique sculptures have survived to this day.

How was he educated?

It is thanks to the method of its origin that granite acquired its unique properties. All its varieties are formed by volcanic eruptions: the erupting magma flowed into the earth's cavities located very deep below the surface. The enormous temperatures of these masses decreased gradually, and even under significant pressure, which was exerted on them by the layers of earth located above. As a result, the igneous rocks fully crystallized, forming granite - a mineral.

Appearance and physical properties of the stone

Translated from the language of Ancient Greece, its name means “grain”, “granularity”. At the same time, the relative porosity of granite is quite low: even in coarse-grained varieties (the “coarsest” among all three structures) it rarely exceeds 6-7 mm. And in fine-grained varieties, the grain diameter does not reach even two. At the same time, the size of the “cells” seriously affects the strength and long-term operation of structures made from this stone - the smaller their diameter, the stronger the granite.

In addition to its strength and density, granite is also characterized by decorative properties. It increases with polishing. The most common black variety is also the least valuable. Colored options are pink (even red), green, and yellow. Such rocks are widely used in architecture and construction.

Construction advantages of granite

This stone, especially its fine-grained varieties, is amazingly resistant to the effects of time: even after five hundred years, destruction is only just beginning to appear. At the same time, it very successfully resists friction, is difficult to compress and is resistant to abrasion. Atmospheric influences also have little effect on granite. This type of mineral is resistant to acids and practically does not absorb water, which makes it an ideal material for finishing embankments, including the coastal sea strip.

Equally important is that this natural stone is virtually resistant to frost (very important in our latitudes!) and gets dirty very easily.

Granite is also ideal for finishing, as it harmonizes with metal parts, wood, ceramic parts, and the most modern materials. And despite all our fastidiousness, it is worth admitting that natural stone perfectly keeps the house cool in summer and warm in the winter.

Granite aesthetics

In addition to purely utilitarian advantages, this stone has good polishing, which reveals its unique structure and richness of colors. But many designers are happy to use the unpolished structure of granite, which perfectly absorbs light and creates wild and unusual interiors.

The variety of color tones can satisfy even the most picky esthete: among the wealth of tones, there will certainly be something that he needs. After all, perhaps, among all the facing and building materials, there is no other one as attractive as granite - the photos fully reflect its beauty.

What was wrong with granite?

As it should be, this huge “barrel of honey” necessarily has a “fly in the ointment”. One of the disadvantages of this natural stone is the residual radiation inherent in some types of granite. Therefore, it is mainly used for outdoor work. And those blocks that are intended for internal use must undergo a scrupulous check so as not to subsequently harm people’s health.

In addition, the increased strength of the stone, which is already considered one of its undoubted advantages, is also its disadvantage. The extraction of granite is complicated by its hardness and combined fragility. You have to resort to expensive tricks to get a large enough piece of stone intact, and then put a lot of work into finishing it. That's why granite work is so expensive.

Development Features

For most solid minerals, it is not so important in what form they are extracted from the vein, because they are expected to be further processed (smelting, burning, etc.). Therefore, crushing the surrounding rocks does not harm the extracted substance; the main thing here is the convenience of extraction itself. A completely different matter is facing materials, which include granite. For him, it is important to obtain a monolithic block without cracks and chips, since these defects cannot be hidden by any subsequent tricks. Moreover, such restrictions apply both during storage and during transportation, which significantly complicates the entire process. And if a message is received about minerals (granite among them), a whole range of additional measures have to be carried out aimed at preserving the integrity of the extracted minerals.

The most common method

There are different methods of extracting granite, and the quality of the resulting stone directly depends on which one was used. At the moment, three methods are known, and, unfortunately, the most barbaric one is used most often - explosive. It consists of drilling a hole for the charge, which explodes. The fragments are sorted, and blocks are cut out of the largest ones. For most miners, this method is attractive because it is cheap. However, the quality of granite is very low: the blast wave creates a lot of defects in the blocks, as a result of which their strength decreases. And there are not so many large fragments at the output - at least a third of the granite crumbles and is only suitable for processing into gravel.

Air mining

This is a more gentle way. The beginning is similar to the first option: a well is drilled in the desired direction, a reservoir is placed in it, into which air is pumped under pressure. This method makes it possible to more fully use the granite deposit, calculate the locations of faults and avoid damage to the block, including even microscopic cracks. The result is much more monoliths, and much less waste. However, the mining company will require preliminary investments in equipment, and the method itself takes longer than explosive.

The most modern option

It is also the most expensive. It is called the “stone cutter method” and requires the purchase of very expensive equipment and personnel training. But granite (like any other natural stone) is of ideal quality, without the slightest defects (both external and hidden). And the field is being developed almost 100%.

Russian deposits

Granite mining in Russia, sadly enough, is carried out mainly by artisanal, explosive methods. This is despite the fact that there are many deposits here. Such natural stone is mined in the Urals, Primorye, Khabarovsk Territory, Transbaikalia, and the Sayan Mountains. There are deposits in the Moscow region. Mining is carried out mainly by small private companies, whose volumes are steadily increasing, despite the fact that the main deposits are located in the Urals. They are developed with great difficulty due to climatic difficulties, which increases the required investment and increases the cost of granite. However, the increase in the number of people with high incomes increases the demand for natural stone and stimulates the development of this industrial sector.

Do you want to know what the capital is spending billions on? I returned from another trip to the Urals, where I filmed the 1500th production in my life. In addition to industrial photographs, dirty clothes and dusty cameras, I brought with me a terrible secret.

1. Bashkiria. Quiet and picturesque places of the Southern Urals. In the villages, potatoes, river fish and fresh kumiss are sold for free. Beauty! But if you turn off the road onto some dusty dirt road, you will definitely find yourself in some kind of production, open-pit mine or quarry.

The Urals are a treasury of various minerals. Back in school, during geography lessons, we were told that the Ural mountain system is one of the most ancient, formed 200-400 million years ago. Of the 55 types of important minerals that were developed in the USSR, 48 are represented in the Urals.

2. Meet - this is granite. Igneous rock. Granite is one of the densest, hardest and most durable rocks on earth. It is widely used in construction as a facing and road material.

3. - the largest block stone quarry in the country. Mansurovsky granite is mined in a single place, near the Bashkir city of Uchaly. This type of rock is considered one of the oldest granites in Russia and on the entire planet, estimating its geological age at 350 million years. According to geologists, the proven reserves of the field will last for another 200 years.

4. The lightest of all Russian granites are mined here. For its soft wavy texture and milky light gray color, Mansurovsky granite is often compared to marble; it is not for nothing that it has conquered the international space and is considered one of the most popular “made in Russia” granites abroad.

It is this granite that is now being laid throughout Moscow and in particular on Tverskaya Street. 90% of the tiles, borders and paving stones that the city now purchases come from the Urals (the rest from Karelia). Five Ural mining quarries (Mansurovsky is the largest) and more than 30 stone cutting enterprises are working to supply granite for the “My Street” reconstruction program.

5. The method of extracting granite blocks differs from the types I am used to in iron ore, limestone quarries or coal mines. If in the latter the minerals are hollowed out, crushed and crushed, then here everything is the other way around. The geological features of the rock’s occurrence allow it to be mined in fairly large blocks, which are convenient to work with in the future. This explains the relatively low cost of such a beautiful and high-quality material, although, of course, the concrete casting technology is cheaper.

6. The more a block can be chipped, the more it is worth. But not everything is as easy as it seems. It is not for nothing that granite is one of the most durable rocks. The average density of the rock is 2600 kg/m, 3. To break off such an even piece, you need to try hard.

7. The process of mining granite is similar to the process of eating truffle cake layer by layer. Granite occurs in layers. A part of the rock is separated from the massif, which is then divided into smaller blocks.

8. There are several methods for cutting pieces of the “cake”. One of them is large gas burners. Granite contains quartz, which peels off and flies off when exposed to temperature. Thus, the burner gradually cuts through the granite. The more quartz in granite, the larger the grains, and the faster the rock is cut. This method makes a cross-section of the piece.

10. A special chemical solution is poured into the drilled holes, which creates a “soft explosion”. Inside the tight hole, the mixture expands, splitting and moving the granite block.

12. All workers are local (albeit tanned).
- Guys, let me take a photo of you now. Can you somehow hit with sledgehammers at the same time?
- Listen, let’s give you a sledgehammer and take everything off ourselves?

13. By gradually driving a series of wedges, the rock cracks and voila, a new block is separated.

14. There is another method - rope sawing. It is used in the Yuzhno-Sultaevsky quarry. The bottom line is that instead of gas burners, a cunning rope cutter is used.

15. The rope is passed through the drilled holes. Gradually the installation moves away along the guides, and in a few hours a huge piece is cut out.

20. Finished blocks are transported by loaders or dump trucks to the sawing shop of the quarry. Or they are sold as is to other sawmills.

22. Until recently, the entire stone mining industry was in a deplorable state. Due to the crisis, the demand of other cities for granite products has fallen. On the other hand, private owners began to look more and more towards Russian stone. The exchange rate has changed, and Chinese granite has risen in price sharply.

This is what a standard workshop for the production of granite borders and tiles looked like two years ago.

23. After the launch of the “My Street” program, Ural enterprises began to come to life. If before the Moscow order the Mansurovsky quarry produced about 3,000 cubic meters of granite per month, now this figure is twice as much.

24. New equipment was purchased with the first money from orders and new workshops were built. The large order volume breathed life into the entire industry. Related enterprises producing packaging, wire rod, wood, fuels and lubricants, various equipment, etc. have also stepped up. The equipment, however, was purchased entirely imported (except for dump trucks and cranes). This is what import substitution is, however.

26. Things have improved for mining companies. The money earned could simply be eaten away or stolen, but as we see, production is being developed and equipment is being updated.

27. While marble slabs are cut in one go, granite takes a very long time to cut. The saw blade moves back and forth across the slab, lowering only 1 cm at a time. Large pieces of granite take hours to saw.

28. Massive blocks are sawn into slabs, smaller blocks are cut into borders. Every little thing, such as paving stones, does not require large preparations and is sawn (or split) from scraps of slabs.

30. To speed up the cutting process, there are such large and cunning rope machines.

31. On such machines it is possible to saw slabs into 10 blocks with a height of more than two meters.

34. The cut quality is perfect.

35. An Italian master supervises the setup of the equipment.

36. To prevent passersby from slipping on the tiles in winter, the surface is heat treated.

37. The tile becomes rough and not as slippery as polished granite.

38. New workshop, and finished products of the quarry. This curb stone is already being laid on Tverskaya Street. Over 3 kilometers of straight side and 500 meters of radial side were ordered for it.

39. These borders and tiles are 350 million years old, wait a minute!

41. Split paving stones.

42. To deliver tiles and curbs to Tverskaya, 364 trucks were needed, which brought 7,271 tons of granite - this is an area of 33.5 thousand square meters.

By weight, it’s like spreading thirty Boeing 747s along Tverskaya.

43. In total, this year Moscow ordered 47,500 tons of granite products. This is 2,374 trucks or 220,000 sq.m. of coverage. What is comparable to area 30 football fields! This is about the question that Muscovites are greedy. In a sense, this is certainly true, the capital is the richest city in the country, but the money for its renovation goes to the regions where production is rising.

In terms of the cost of its extraction, processing and delivery, granite is inferior to similar concrete products. But there are also advantages:

Granite has low water absorption and high resistance to frost and dirt. Concrete absorbs moisture better.
- concrete is abrasive, it generates more dust than granite.
- concrete slabs are produced in a factory, but granite is produced by nature itself.

44. Each quarry has its own texture and shade of granite. If you look at the pattern of laying tiles on the streets of Moscow, you can see a certain pattern in the pattern. Tiles of different colors came from different quarries.

45. On Tashmurun quarry darker granite is mined than Mansurovsky. The quarry itself is smaller in size.

50. This quarry ranks first in terms of efficiency in extracting cubic meters of product per worker.

51. Yuzhno-Sultaevsky quarry with large beautiful cranes.

53. In general, I have everything. I would just like to clarify that if you choose granite instead of concrete, this does not mean that everything will automatically be fine. Nothing like this. Without the right installation technology, anything will fall apart. If you make a backing from shit and branches, then after the first winter the sidewalk/steps/curbs will float and burst from uneven load.

The Urals are a treasury of various minerals. Back in school, during geography lessons, we were told that the Ural mountain system is one of the most ancient, formed 200-400 million years ago. Of the 55 types of important minerals that were developed in the USSR, 48 are represented in the Urals.

2. Meet - this is granite. Igneous rock. Granite is one of the densest, hardest and most durable rocks on earth. It is widely used in construction as a facing and road material.

3. Mansurovskoe deposit is the largest in the country for the extraction of block stone. Mansurovsky granite is mined in a single place, near the Bashkir city of Uchaly. This type of rock is considered one of the oldest granites in Russia and on the entire planet, estimating its geological age at 350 million years. According to geologists, the proven reserves of the field will last for another 200 years.

11. A special chemical solution is poured into the drilled holes, which creates a “soft explosion”. Inside the tight hole, the mixture expands, splitting and moving the granite block.

13. All workers are local (albeit tanned).
- Guys, let me take a photo of you now. Can you somehow hit with sledgehammers at the same time?
- Listen, let’s give you a sledgehammer and take everything off ourselves?

14. By gradually driving a series of wedges, the rock cracks and voila, a new block is separated.

15. There is another method - rope sawing. It is used in the Yuzhno-Sultaevsky quarry. The bottom line is that instead of gas burners, a cunning rope cutter is used.

16. The rope is passed through the drilled holes. Gradually the installation moves away along the guides, and in a few hours a huge piece is cut out.

17. Vzhzhzh!

21. Finished blocks are transported by loaders or dump trucks to the sawing shop of the quarry. Or they are sold as is to other sawmills.

23. Until recently, the entire stone mining industry was in a deplorable state. Due to the crisis, the demand of other cities for granite products has fallen. On the other hand, private owners began to look more and more towards Russian stone. The exchange rate has changed, and Chinese granite has risen in price sharply.

This is what a standard workshop for the production of granite borders and tiles looked like two years ago.

24. After the launch of the “My Street” program, Ural enterprises began to come to life. If before the Moscow order the Mansurovsky quarry produced about 3,000 cubic meters of granite per month, now this figure is twice as much.

25. New equipment was purchased with the first money from orders and new workshops were built. The large order volume breathed life into the entire industry. Related enterprises producing packaging, wire rod, wood, fuels and lubricants, various equipment, etc. have also stepped up. The equipment, however, was purchased entirely imported (except for dump trucks and cranes). This is what import substitution is, however.

27. Among other things, the number of workers at the quarries has been increased. On Mansur from 300 to 400 people. We have to work three shifts. In general, more than 4,000 people throughout the Urals now work to produce granite for Moscow.

28. Things have improved for mining companies. They even ordered a photographer from Moscow for several days. The money earned could simply be eaten away or stolen, but as we see, production is being developed and equipment is being updated.

29. While marble slabs are cut in one go, granite takes a very long time to cut. The saw blade moves back and forth across the slab, lowering only 1 cm at a time. Large pieces of granite take hours to saw.

30. Massive blocks are sawn into slabs, smaller blocks are cut into borders. Every little thing, such as paving stones, does not require large preparations and is sawn (or split) from scraps of slabs.

32. To speed up the cutting process, there are such large and cunning rope machines.

33. On such machines it is possible to saw slabs into 10 blocks with a height of more than two meters.

36. The cut quality is perfect.

37. An Italian master supervises the setup of the equipment.

38. To prevent passers-by from slipping on the tiles in winter, the surface is heat treated.

39. The tile becomes rough and not as slippery as polished granite.

40. For now, heat treatment is carried out manually, but a special machine has already been installed in the workshop, and soon this process will be carried out automatically.

41. New workshop, and finished products of the quarry. This curb stone is already being laid on Tverskaya Street. Over 3 kilometers of straight side and 500 meters of radial side were ordered for it.

42. These borders and tiles are 350 million years old, wait a minute!

44. Split paving stones.

46. To deliver tiles and curbs to Tverskaya, 364 trucks were needed, which brought 7271 tons of granite - this is an area of 33.5 thousand m 2.

By weight, it’s like spreading thirty Boeing 747s along Tverskaya.

47. In total, this year Moscow ordered 47,500 tons of granite products. This is 2,374 trucks or 220,000 m2 of coverage. What is comparable to area 30 football fields! This is about the question that Muscovites are greedy. In a sense, this is certainly true, the capital is the richest city in the country, but the money for its renovation goes to the regions where production is increasing.

48. In terms of the cost of its extraction, processing and delivery, granite is inferior to similar concrete products. But there are also advantages:
- granite has low water absorption and high resistance to frost and dirt. Concrete absorbs moisture better.
- concrete is abrasive, it generates more dust than granite.
- concrete slabs are produced in a factory, but granite is produced by nature itself.

49. Each quarry has its own texture and shade of granite. If you look at the pattern of laying tiles on the streets of Moscow, you can see a certain pattern in the pattern. Tiles of different colors came from different quarries.

50. The Tashmurun quarry produces darker granite than the Mansurovsky one. The quarry itself is smaller in size.

54. Kambulatovsky quarry.

56. This quarry ranks first in terms of efficiency in extracting cubic meters of product per worker.

58. Yuzhno-Sultaevsky quarry with large beautiful cranes.

60. In general, I have everything. I would just like to clarify that if you choose granite instead of concrete, this does not mean that everything will automatically be fine. Nothing like this. Without the right installation technology, anything will fall apart. If you make a backing from shit and branches, then after the first winter the sidewalk/steps/curbs will float and burst from uneven load.

62. It’s not enough to buy a granite border; you also need to install it correctly. This curb, albeit crookedly, was installed 10 years ago.

63. And this is his age, a concrete curb.

64. This is what it is, granite. Meet on the streets of Moscow, Novosibirsk, Salekhard, Tyumen, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, Astana, Baku and so on on the list.

65. So when you walk along Tverskaya or any other reconstructed street, remember that you are touching history that is 350 million years old!

66. Thank you for your attention!

I express my gratitude to the Granit Invest company and especially to Alexey Stepanchenko for the interesting work and detailed tour of the granite quarries!
But I won’t tell you the secret. That's why it's a secret.

When writing the text, an article from the site was used

This noble stone serves as an excellent material for the manufacture of granite paving stones and granite tiles.
Granite paving stones are an excellent material for paving roads and paths, squares and gardens. Many squares in Russia and Europe are paved with granite paving stones.
Granite tiles are used for exterior and interior decoration of buildings. Less valuable granites are used as a solid filler for the production of concrete and reinforced concrete.

Map of Russia showing the location of granite deposits.

Productive mining is carried out in more than 50 quarries.

In the Russian Federation, stone reserves have been developed and are actively used in almost all regions of the country. If we count the granite deposits in Russia from the Far East, then it is impossible to ignore Primorye and the Khabarovsk Territory. Transbaikalia is also rich in this stone. Moving towards the Arctic, you can find huge deposits of priceless finishing and construction raw materials in the Voronezh, Arkhangelsk regions, Karelia and its isthmus.

However, there are a lot of granites in other places. These are the Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions, the foothills and spurs of the Urals. Also, a large granite deposit was discovered near Ladoga in the Leningrad region. The European part of the country is also rich in this stone. In short, there is something to be proud of. There is and will be in the future a lot of work in the granite quarries of Russia.

Quality of finishing granites

It is worth saying that Russian granite in its entirety has rare shades. These are gray, white, brown-red material and others. A lot of rapakivi granite is mined in the north-west of the Russian Federation. Or, more precisely, in Karelia, in the Leningrad region.
These are quarries such as Shokshinsky, Vinga, Shalsky, Mustavaar. For example, Shokshinsky quarry granite became famous for its beauty and aesthetic impeccability in the monument to Nicholas I in the city of St. Petersburg. A slab from this quarry serves as the tombstone of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Granite also served as the material for making the sarcophagus of Napoleon in France.
Granite extracted from, which is located in the Murmansk region, has proven itself worthily in international specialized liquid markets. It is readily bought by Japan, Western Europe and other countries of the world. Amazonite granite is being mined in the Urals and Transbaikalia. It is a decorative stone with an excellent structural base. The facing slabs made from it are unique in their colors and remain unsurpassed in their beauty throughout the country.

Colossal reserves of granites

Russia has huge reserves of explored granites, which total 225 million cubic meters. The actual volume is difficult to imagine, but these are only proven reserves. And how many more deposits of this stone are hidden underground. New granite deposits are discovered every year, but not all are actively developed. This happens as it is in demand, so dozens are preserved and await better times.

Russian granite is the pride of the country, an invaluable gift, which becomes more and more abundant every year. Such a statement can be made if we analyze the production activities of our company. It was created with the aim of delivering granite from any quarries in the Russian Federation at the request of interested enterprises and organizations. Practice shows that the demand for granite is not decreasing.

New addresses have appeared in the list of quarries where the company buys material. The company offers legal entities in need of supplies of high-quality granite for various purposes to use its potential. Let's work to develop mutually beneficial business by concluding long-term contracts.