quarry
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quarry
A place where rock such as marble, granite, or sandstone is extracted on a large scale in order to use it as building material.
Der Marmor für die Statue stammt aus einem Steinbruch in Italien.
The marble for the statue comes from a quarry in Italy.
'Steinbruch' (quarry) is a compound noun made up of 'der Stein' (the stone) and 'der Bruch' (the break/fracture). 'Bruch' comes from the verb 'brechen' (to break). So a 'Steinbruch' is literally a place where stone is broken out of the rock.
In diesem Steinbruch wird seit über 100 Jahren Schiefer gebrochen.
Slate has been quarried in this quarry for over 100 years.
Pay attention to the prepositions. You work 'im Steinbruch' (in the quarry; dative, location) and transport material 'aus dem Steinbruch' (from the quarry; dative, origin).
Die Lastwagen fahren den ganzen Tag aus dem Steinbruch.
The trucks drive out of the quarry all day.
Common adjectives used with 'Steinbruch' are 'alt' (old), 'verlassen' (abandoned), or 'aktiv' (active). The type of rock is also often named, as in 'Marmorsteinbruch' (marble quarry) or 'Sandsteinbruch' (sandstone quarry).
Der verlassene Steinbruch hat sich mit Wasser gefüllt und ist heute ein Badesee.
The abandoned quarry has filled with water and is now a swimming lake.
break / fracture / fraction
'der Bruch' can, in one specific meaning, mean the same thing as 'der Steinbruch': a place where stone is extracted. 'Der Steinbruch' is clearer here and usually easier to understand in everyday language. 'Der Bruch' has many other meanings, for example in medicine or mathematics. For that reason, 'Bruch' can be ambiguous without context. If it is clearly about a place where stone is quarried, both are possible, but 'Steinbruch' is more precise.
Der Steinbruch ist heute geschlossen, weil dort nicht mehr gearbeitet wird.
The quarry is closed today because no one works there anymore.
Im alten Bruch am Ortsrand wurde früher Sandstein abgebaut.
Sandstone used to be extracted in the old quarry on the edge of town.