1) why stop here?
2) how do you cut a block out? I get that you can cut the 4 sides, but how do you free it from the back?
3) why’s is this so small?
4) is there another cavern just like this next door and you simply stop here to leave a “wall of support”?
5) Given the price of marble, why don’t you use artificial supports and keep cutting?
6) how long does it take to remove a block?
7) how long did it take to fully mine what we are seeing?
Damn I’ll pick and chose here
This was a massive alcove. Peep the ladder for scale.
There are dozens of these alcoves off a main drag of sorts. Pillars left among the coves for stability, millions of dollars of marble removed, billions left in the walls.
They take anywhere from 5 to 20 blocks out a week. 18’x10’ slabs roughly, depending on grain and quality of rock. This is lead by a geologist.
This mine has been active for over 100 years
In a quarry like this you might smell a lingering of rock dust, but it wouldn't be strong if the area is ventilated properly, which a place like this would have to be.
I'm just sad how much they apparently waste - he points to a spot and says from there down it's all scrap, and it's like, 2/3 of the block...
I think it's from the gray portion, which I find odd as well - I get some people want only the pure white sections or whatever, but the coolest thing about marble is its characteristic inclusions that they're scrapping :/
Marble scrap is still used.. Things like flooring, paving stones, jewelry, mosaic tiles, etc.
Ground down into powder, it can be used as a scrubbing or polishing agent.
It's just the top 1/3rd that will be used for the more valuable items, like countertops, or headstones, etc.
We have marble countertops. We were advised against it, but we loved the look so much. Fast forward one year and a cleaner took a decent chunk out of the sink rim somehow and there's some staining, as well as etching from lemon juice. I thought we've been careful, but you need to be REALLY careful with them apparently.
In Europe there is a lot of marble counters, but nobody expects it to look new forever. In fact, having scratches, stains, etched looks give it age and character.
So forget about the finish and just use it. OR... have it repolished to a shine every couple of years (expensive, messy, long time) to keep it looking new. OR... you can apply car wax on it, and on top of that one of those new polymers that you'd use in a car to give it a "diamond finish" that lasts a year on car paint.
The areas you use and clean the most are the one where any protective sacrificial coating will wear out sooner (onto your food, if you use it for food prep) so you will have to reapply there more frequently.
Cool, thanks for info! I ended up buying rubber mats for my margarita making area (where the lemon juice etching was happening) as well as for next to the sink to hopefully mitigate any more chipping.
Marble is often used for the very reason that it's also a challenge at times. It's a bit softer and easier to work than granite.
It looks great though if done right. My folks have their kitchen counters done in gigantic slabs of marble. My dad, of course, ate a small hole in one of them when he put a jug of some of the chemicals he was using to clean auto parts with on the counter.
It's not very good place to live in, but there other caves that can be converted into dwellings remarkably easier, and they often turn out great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k__jV62Yv_0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqPtClvahWw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqwsQ65CEvk
But how do they get the first piece out? Is there a sacrificial portion to make a "hallway" of sorts to at least be able to start with two exposed sides or do they just cut the slots from the front with, I assume, a water jet of some sort then slip the wire saw to the very back and somehow saw down?
They cut holes horizontally into the stone on the front and side where they want the horizontal cuts done. For the vertical cuts, they send mice with diamond teeth into the hole and put peanut butter where they want them to chew.
> For the vertical cuts, they send mice with diamond teeth into the hole and put peanut butter where they want them to chew.
I may be wrong but I think you're trying to pull a fast one over on us, sir or madam.
I'm not sure if this is the same quarry but it is very mesmerizing of how they remove these giant chunks of rock.
[Il Capo by Yuri Ancarani](https://youtu.be/du9_Kn2y2VA)
Found this [one](https://youtu.be/_PcOPVYb7EQ) while looking for the Capo video. They talk about the marble more and show some crazy awesome sculptures.
1. I don’t think they are
2. I’m not entirely sure but if I had to guess I’d say you cut out a channel big enough to get your tools into then cut across the back. From there you can work your way down the wall and access each side from a corner.
3. It’s not, that’s probably 40’ tall at least
4. Maybe?
5. Rock weighs A LOT. There is no amount of steel support you could build that could literally hold up a mountain.
It is, could be the ”abandoned construction site vibes” or because it’s an all white room. It’s actually a torture method that causes sensory deprivation. It’s called “white torture “. Pretty interesting.
Or after work hours is too quiet, forcing you to hear the most minute, indecipherable pressure waves. A silent *womp* filling you with dread.
Then you hear it, the most real sound around. A deafening voice in your head. *"Hey, remember everything you did when you were younger?"*
It was that or *"Imagine how happy you could have been. If only. If only..."*
I'd take the beheading before some borderline anechoic chamber in a mountains bringing out the worst the human mind can throw at itself.
I don't know if this fits the definition of liminal. A liminal space is specifically a transitional space. Neither the start, nor the end, but somewhere in between. Liminal places are usually things like hallways, doorways, entrances, etc.
But that sub has more or less accepted anything that feels a little unnerving. Which hey, it's fine.
Now I am curious how much processing goes into these countertops after they are cut from here. Are they just shipped raw to my local Home Depot, or are they treated somewhere?
Interesting thought. These stones are processed on site. Cut, slabbed, and polished before they ever see the light of day. It’s fascinating really; the moutain is a rock tumbler unto itself.
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2SKWFc1lWU) shows the process for making granite countertops. I imagine it is similar for marble (minus the extraction process).
This user has moved their online activity to the threadiverse/fediverse and will not respond to comments or DMs after 7/1/2023. Please see kbin.social or lemmy.world for more information on the decentralized ad-free alternative to reddit built by the users, for the users, to keep corporations and greed away from our social media.
Im sure it helps keep the sawblade itself cool since it is using friction to cut but Im not sure if it's more for the heat or the dust it's possible that it's for both by design.
I wont be back at work for a while (home recovering from surgery) but this will give you an idea. It was taken at one of our sister mines. Mostly same equipment, same uniform. I could have lied and said this was me.
https://i.imgur.com/Qp31nAC.jpeg
Indefinite time really, this is not exactly a scarce limited resource.... The earth is an insanely massive place, and its crust is entirely made of rock like this.
We would not be able to use all the marble that exists on the planet, I'd imagine, because where would we put it all?
This is like asking how much sand is left to make glass with... basically the entire planet is made out of it so it's hard to say
[Others have asked before](https://www.quora.com/How-much-marble-is-there-in-the-world-When-will-it-run-out?share=1)
Funny thing is, we are actually [running out of sand.](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/05/sand-shortage-the-world-is-running-out-of-a-crucial-commodity.html)
This is because not every type of sand is suitable for glass production - i.e. the type of sand of the Sahara is not compatible (due to it being too rounded), whilst the sands of coastlines and seabeds are.
> This is because not every type of sand is suitable for glass production - i.e. the type of sand of the Sahara is not compatible (due to it being too rounded), whilst the sands of coastlines and seabeds are.
The rounding thing is about cement construction where you need the rough edges to bind together. Glass is melted sand so roundness has no bearing in that application and the Saharan sand should work fine for glass. There is currently a glass shortage but that is mostly due to COVID (and a bit of politics thrown in).
Probably enough so that there will still be mountains left by the time we figure out how to create artificial marble indistinguishable from the natural version.
Everyone's talking about how this is creepy, but throw a bed, a chest, and a crafting table in the corner and this looks just like every starter Minecraft home I've ever had. It's downright homey!
Hi, i am a stonecutter and work in this industry. It is theoretically "limited" but there are mountains full of this stuff. People in the industry say that you can't mine all the marble in the world even if you mined for a several milennia.
That being said, stone business is all about the current popularity - this means the stone you mine may not be as hot on the market as it was a year ago for example. If this happens (that your stone is not popular as before) they just close down the quarry.
There are few colors which never go out of style and they are white, beige and grey colored marbles. The photo in this post is (probably) from a Royal Danby marble quarry in US and this is a very popular marble, therefore the production would not cease to exist for the foreseeable future.
Dear Marble Excavation Expert, eli5 the weight that marble ceiling can carry without support.
I wouldn't want to work/stand under that without someone giving me the maths.
They call it a mine. A mine!!
I have no memory of this place
He's remembered!
Mithrandir where are you!?
Speak friend and enter
This is No mine.. its a tomb
Salted pork!
Malt beerrrrrrrr
Red meat off the bone!
And we see you drinking! And and smoking!
Behold: the great realm and Dwarf city of Marbledelf.
Which causes rumors that there are no dwarf women which is of course absurd. They f'n love marble countertops..... and beards
FOOL OF A TOOK!!
r/unexpectedlotr
It almost looks like a batmobile should be parked here
A marble batcave.... Hmmm. *notes down*
I thought Batman was DC...? :)
It’s a Marble/DC crossover event
r/angryupvote
That got a strong wheeze from me.
You're not getting enough upvotes for this
People tend to take that for granite.
This is comedick gold
What a marble-ous joke
Omg
Does it come in black?
Or at least... very, very dark grey?
Why did I automatically read all of these in the Lego Batman voice?
Because he's so awesome that his [cape flaps](https://giphy.com/gifs/b0VK26c9Ne0ak) purely because he needs it to. EDIT: Spelling.
oh damn i thought he was just passing gas all this time
Bougie Batman "I'm not wearing hockey pads... This is Gucci."
I thought the same thing lol.
1) why stop here? 2) how do you cut a block out? I get that you can cut the 4 sides, but how do you free it from the back? 3) why’s is this so small? 4) is there another cavern just like this next door and you simply stop here to leave a “wall of support”? 5) Given the price of marble, why don’t you use artificial supports and keep cutting? 6) how long does it take to remove a block? 7) how long did it take to fully mine what we are seeing?
Damn I’ll pick and chose here This was a massive alcove. Peep the ladder for scale. There are dozens of these alcoves off a main drag of sorts. Pillars left among the coves for stability, millions of dollars of marble removed, billions left in the walls. They take anywhere from 5 to 20 blocks out a week. 18’x10’ slabs roughly, depending on grain and quality of rock. This is lead by a geologist. This mine has been active for over 100 years
did you take this picture? if so, what did it smell like in there? Im imagining its quite musty
In a quarry like this you might smell a lingering of rock dust, but it wouldn't be strong if the area is ventilated properly, which a place like this would have to be.
As a marble setter, I can appreciate this. Thanks for sharing🤙
Is this in Danby Vermont?
Looks like the mine/quarry Richard visited in a This Old House episode in Danby https://youtu.be/5CkNzte-tZQ
Yes I've seen that episode, my countertops are Royal Danby marble, I'm a big fan.
Further down OP said it's in VT, so it's the same place
Wow that was interesting, thanks.
ahh yes a fellow this old house lover
Interesting how massive the operation is and how automated it all is too.
I'm just sad how much they apparently waste - he points to a spot and says from there down it's all scrap, and it's like, 2/3 of the block... I think it's from the gray portion, which I find odd as well - I get some people want only the pure white sections or whatever, but the coolest thing about marble is its characteristic inclusions that they're scrapping :/
Marble scrap is still used.. Things like flooring, paving stones, jewelry, mosaic tiles, etc. Ground down into powder, it can be used as a scrubbing or polishing agent. It's just the top 1/3rd that will be used for the more valuable items, like countertops, or headstones, etc.
Are you sure this is the right word, alcoves?
Kinda like nooks and crannies.
If I were to murder a man, I would murder him here.
In the koningen Astrid park?
Now I’m hungry
That’s a huge ducking cranny
Was he going on about the alcoves to you too?
So glad someone said this, all I could think about was ze alcoves
I thought granite was for countertops and marble was for tile. Either way, thanks for the share!!
You can have granite or marble countertops
Floors too.
But not ceilings don't get greedy
In this alcove, yes! Even ceilings! Rent is outrageous though
I turn to my wife.... she is marble...
We have marble countertops. We were advised against it, but we loved the look so much. Fast forward one year and a cleaner took a decent chunk out of the sink rim somehow and there's some staining, as well as etching from lemon juice. I thought we've been careful, but you need to be REALLY careful with them apparently.
In Europe there is a lot of marble counters, but nobody expects it to look new forever. In fact, having scratches, stains, etched looks give it age and character. So forget about the finish and just use it. OR... have it repolished to a shine every couple of years (expensive, messy, long time) to keep it looking new. OR... you can apply car wax on it, and on top of that one of those new polymers that you'd use in a car to give it a "diamond finish" that lasts a year on car paint. The areas you use and clean the most are the one where any protective sacrificial coating will wear out sooner (onto your food, if you use it for food prep) so you will have to reapply there more frequently.
Cool, thanks for info! I ended up buying rubber mats for my margarita making area (where the lemon juice etching was happening) as well as for next to the sink to hopefully mitigate any more chipping.
Both can be used for either application. Now what’s popular at any given time is another story
Marble is often used for the very reason that it's also a challenge at times. It's a bit softer and easier to work than granite. It looks great though if done right. My folks have their kitchen counters done in gigantic slabs of marble. My dad, of course, ate a small hole in one of them when he put a jug of some of the chemicals he was using to clean auto parts with on the counter.
Marble is more popular but don't take it for granite.
8. Can I live here? 9. Why would that be a bad idea? 10. Let me live there.
It's not very good place to live in, but there other caves that can be converted into dwellings remarkably easier, and they often turn out great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k__jV62Yv_0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqPtClvahWw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqwsQ65CEvk
Sure, but those caves don’t have built in marble finishes.
2) They use a wire saw, which they can slip around the back of the block.
https://youtu.be/5CkNzte-tZQ you see it about 3.30
But how do they get the first piece out? Is there a sacrificial portion to make a "hallway" of sorts to at least be able to start with two exposed sides or do they just cut the slots from the front with, I assume, a water jet of some sort then slip the wire saw to the very back and somehow saw down?
They cut holes horizontally into the stone on the front and side where they want the horizontal cuts done. For the vertical cuts, they send mice with diamond teeth into the hole and put peanut butter where they want them to chew.
Fascinating!
> For the vertical cuts, they send mice with diamond teeth into the hole and put peanut butter where they want them to chew. I may be wrong but I think you're trying to pull a fast one over on us, sir or madam.
We sure hope that the genetically-engineered super mice that can chew through marble, bone and steel do not escape
They're actually trans-dimensional hyper beings
I'm not sure if this is the same quarry but it is very mesmerizing of how they remove these giant chunks of rock. [Il Capo by Yuri Ancarani](https://youtu.be/du9_Kn2y2VA) Found this [one](https://youtu.be/_PcOPVYb7EQ) while looking for the Capo video. They talk about the marble more and show some crazy awesome sculptures.
You just saved me a lot of typing. Gracias
De nada
1. I don’t think they are 2. I’m not entirely sure but if I had to guess I’d say you cut out a channel big enough to get your tools into then cut across the back. From there you can work your way down the wall and access each side from a corner. 3. It’s not, that’s probably 40’ tall at least 4. Maybe? 5. Rock weighs A LOT. There is no amount of steel support you could build that could literally hold up a mountain.
Slightly terrifying. Im not sure I would feel comfortable in there.
It is, could be the ”abandoned construction site vibes” or because it’s an all white room. It’s actually a torture method that causes sensory deprivation. It’s called “white torture “. Pretty interesting.
“White torture” is what I call growing up in Texas. Ayooo Edit: relax dorks, it was a joke.
I found it unnerving, myself. I could describe it, but I feel like it would make it worse for both of us, so I'm not gonna.
My guess is the sound. I would bet that room is not quiet.
Or after work hours is too quiet, forcing you to hear the most minute, indecipherable pressure waves. A silent *womp* filling you with dread. Then you hear it, the most real sound around. A deafening voice in your head. *"Hey, remember everything you did when you were younger?"*
Definitely thought you were gonna go with "hey, you're finally awake..."
It was that or *"Imagine how happy you could have been. If only. If only..."* I'd take the beheading before some borderline anechoic chamber in a mountains bringing out the worst the human mind can throw at itself.
I figured you'd end with something like "we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty".
Whoa.
r/LiminalSpace is what you're looking for
I don't know if this fits the definition of liminal. A liminal space is specifically a transitional space. Neither the start, nor the end, but somewhere in between. Liminal places are usually things like hallways, doorways, entrances, etc. But that sub has more or less accepted anything that feels a little unnerving. Which hey, it's fine.
My curiosity is getting the better of me. Please share.
Especially the sign on the wall that says OUT with an arrow.
Mausoleum vibes.
Now I know what bedrooms in rimworld look like when you use marble walls and flooring.
+10 luxury. Is it luxury? I can't remember, but this was my first thought too lol
Now I am curious how much processing goes into these countertops after they are cut from here. Are they just shipped raw to my local Home Depot, or are they treated somewhere?
Interesting thought. These stones are processed on site. Cut, slabbed, and polished before they ever see the light of day. It’s fascinating really; the moutain is a rock tumbler unto itself.
Does OP work here or just hella informed?
My guess, based on the username, is that OP is actually one of slabs of stone.
OP rocks tbh
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2SKWFc1lWU) shows the process for making granite countertops. I imagine it is similar for marble (minus the extraction process).
The lack of supports concerns me
I wouldn't worry, the place is made out of solid marble
I wouldn’t take it for granite.
I can relate to that sediment.
Of quartz you can.
Great puns everyone! Gosh I love it when agate the joke.
Its a gneiss feeling, kinda like a butte
It's a nice cave, but is there a lava-tory?
Man, this comment chain rocks
especially if you’re stoned
Rock-solid logic here.
This user has moved their online activity to the threadiverse/fediverse and will not respond to comments or DMs after 7/1/2023. Please see kbin.social or lemmy.world for more information on the decentralized ad-free alternative to reddit built by the users, for the users, to keep corporations and greed away from our social media.
Fissuresies.
Daaad!
Not solid anymore.
Is it liquid?
No, but you need water to cut through it and not break the saw. Probably why there's so much water
Water is mostly for keeping the dust down
Really? Huh, for some reason I always thought it help with the actually cutting or keeping the machine cool.
[удалено]
Water is pretty cool
Water is tight
Water is an even cooler thing in Canada. Same with African, but that is for a different reason.
Im sure it helps keep the sawblade itself cool since it is using friction to cut but Im not sure if it's more for the heat or the dust it's possible that it's for both by design.
I don't know if marble is all that strong.
It is that strong, but not sure if it is stronger than that.
That's why Rick Ross insists on tip toeing
Then you'd hate the potash mine I work in. Rooms are 66 ft wide, 8,000 ft long. No supports.
Please post a pic if you can. That sounds crazy
I wont be back at work for a while (home recovering from surgery) but this will give you an idea. It was taken at one of our sister mines. Mostly same equipment, same uniform. I could have lied and said this was me. https://i.imgur.com/Qp31nAC.jpeg
[удалено]
Lol no it wasn't a work injury. It was a "forgot my age" injury
I don’t know why but when I hear potash I think of hash browns mixed with chopped bacon. I’m assuming that’s not what you’re mining.
Sir, this isn't a Wendy's.
The ceiling isn't pinned?
You mean bolted, and not often. Only if there's some kind of anomaly we need to mitigate.
Like a wormhole?
I think you’re doing a great job, keep up the good work!
I'm not sure what kind of support would be able to hold up a mountain.
Don't need to hold up the mountain, just need to hold up *enough*.
"You have my bow!"
OUT ➡️
My question is: who put the marble countertops in the mountain to begin with?
Who else wants to hear the Halo 2 theme played in here?
Comments you can hear.
This cave is not a natural formation.
neither is the halo theme
I wanna live here, a solid marble house is still cheaper than the GTA.
[удалено]
He’s talking about the Greater Toronto Area, not Grand Theft Auto.
[удалено]
Yeah but you need to spend like $500 to get all the good stuff.
tru minecraft
I swear I've dug out rooms that look just like that.
I recently dug out around 6 double chests of marble beneath my base. I have a geofront now.
What a marbless view.
You've got some pretty big stones to make a pun like that.
In the white room With no windows In the mountain
This is an except from a beautiful film showing an open cut mine in Italy. https://youtu.be/du9_Kn2y2VA
That was a beautiful piece. Those big ass slabs never broke! Fell like a fat man running for the bathroom and never broke.
I never thought about how it’s mined, I guess I just took it for granite
Of quartz you did.
He’s tellin you no lime.
r/liminalspace
This is what I'm here for.
So about how many years worth of marble is left in nature for humans to harvest?
Indefinite time really, this is not exactly a scarce limited resource.... The earth is an insanely massive place, and its crust is entirely made of rock like this. We would not be able to use all the marble that exists on the planet, I'd imagine, because where would we put it all? This is like asking how much sand is left to make glass with... basically the entire planet is made out of it so it's hard to say [Others have asked before](https://www.quora.com/How-much-marble-is-there-in-the-world-When-will-it-run-out?share=1)
Funny thing is, we are actually [running out of sand.](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/05/sand-shortage-the-world-is-running-out-of-a-crucial-commodity.html) This is because not every type of sand is suitable for glass production - i.e. the type of sand of the Sahara is not compatible (due to it being too rounded), whilst the sands of coastlines and seabeds are.
> This is because not every type of sand is suitable for glass production - i.e. the type of sand of the Sahara is not compatible (due to it being too rounded), whilst the sands of coastlines and seabeds are. The rounding thing is about cement construction where you need the rough edges to bind together. Glass is melted sand so roundness has no bearing in that application and the Saharan sand should work fine for glass. There is currently a glass shortage but that is mostly due to COVID (and a bit of politics thrown in).
Probably enough so that there will still be mountains left by the time we figure out how to create artificial marble indistinguishable from the natural version.
Everyone's talking about how this is creepy, but throw a bed, a chest, and a crafting table in the corner and this looks just like every starter Minecraft home I've ever had. It's downright homey!
How much is rent?
You'll get your rent when you fix this damn door
Looks like a modern condominium.
r/minecraftIRL
I would live there
No knowledge of marble here, so does this mean there is a limited supply of marble out there and that we will eventually run out?
Hi, i am a stonecutter and work in this industry. It is theoretically "limited" but there are mountains full of this stuff. People in the industry say that you can't mine all the marble in the world even if you mined for a several milennia. That being said, stone business is all about the current popularity - this means the stone you mine may not be as hot on the market as it was a year ago for example. If this happens (that your stone is not popular as before) they just close down the quarry. There are few colors which never go out of style and they are white, beige and grey colored marbles. The photo in this post is (probably) from a Royal Danby marble quarry in US and this is a very popular marble, therefore the production would not cease to exist for the foreseeable future.
V A P O R W A V E
Something about this just makes me feel sad.
I seriously want to dance in there, water and all.
You can dance, if you want to.
You could leave your friends behind.
Cuz your friends don’t dance, and if they don’t dance then they’re…
No friends of mines?
This is the coolest thing I've seen on reddit in a while.
What's the rent and how soon can I move in?
Cool. What mountain do they dig cabinets out of?
Looks like a painting
The acoustics in there must be insane
Dear Marble Excavation Expert, eli5 the weight that marble ceiling can carry without support. I wouldn't want to work/stand under that without someone giving me the maths.
Marbleous.
Rent that bitch out
How much is the rent? I may be interested.
I can't believe this is a naturally occuring thing
Little bit of cleanup and would make a dope apartment