The rock quarry at Grant Park is unique to Winston Salem, NC. Here you will find a beautiful quarry that is now filled with water, creating a lake. The observation pier provides full views overlooking the quarry and a nice view of the Winston Salem skyline. This park is home to not only historic rocks from this quarry, but rocks from quarries all over North Carolina. Here you can take a walking trip (just a short walk around the circle leading up to the observation pier) that highlights North Carolina’s geology along the Quarry Park Geology Trail.
What is a rock quarry?
A quarry is a type of mine where specific types of rocks and minerals are removed to be used for construction and building, amongst other uses. A quarry is typically called an open-pit mine, as opposed to an underground mine that requires shafts and tunnels in order to find the stone. There are many quarries all over the world that are still in production extracting rocks such as granite, marble, and gneiss. This quarry, which used to be called Piedmont Quarry, was operated as a gneiss quarry for the production of crushed stone. The crushed stone, also referred to as aggregate, was used for the construction of many roads, buildings, houses, and schools around Winston Salem. It is estimated that over 8 million tons of crushed stone was removed from this quarry! The average home requires about 400 tons of aggregates while 38,000 tons of aggregates is needed to construct just one mile of one lane of a four lane highway! Quarries can drastically affect their surrounding environments, both positively and negatively. They provide needed materials for construction and building. They can also create more habitats for different animals and can also be turned into parks so we can have designated green spaces to play in. Unfortunately, quarries can also cause unwanted displacement of water ways, which can affect local drinking water for residents and cause issues for wildlife that rely on water flow downstream of the quarry. Modern mines and quarries work to ensure that the land is reclaimed during and after the work is complete so that the land can be returned to useful purposes. One example is Beckman Quarry in San Antonio, Texas, which is now where a Six Flags amusement park is located.
In order to log this cache, you will need to post a picture of yourself or your device at the posted coordinates, as well as answer a few questions, submitted by email or through the app messaging portal. Please do not post answers in your log!
1: What is the main type of rock that was found in this quarry?
2: Based on how many estimated tons were removed from this quarry, how many miles of a one lane highway could you construct?
3: Describe at least three other rocks found along the “geology trail”. Which one is your favorite?
4: From the observation pier, observe the walls of the quarry and describe what you see.
5: What do you think is at the bottom of the lake?
Bonus, feel free to post in your log: What wildlife, if any, did you see?
We hope that you enjoy learning about Winston Salem’s geological history and have a great time visiting Quarry Park!
Help keep our spaces clean and remember to “cache in, trash out”!
The Park is accessible by car or from the greenways. Please observe park rules and hours. This park has been undergoing lots of construction with many improvements, so please be aware and considerate of workers.
Permission for placing this earth cache was granted by Bobby Hege, City of Winston Salem Recreation and Parks Department Lakes Program Supervisor.
https://www.cityofws.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Quarry-Park-97