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.
open-pit mining
Both Steinbruch and Tagebau refer to large open sites where raw materials are extracted at the earth’s surface. A Steinbruch mainly produces rock such as granite or sandstone, while Tagebau generally refers to the open-pit extraction of raw materials such as coal or ores. The decisive factor is therefore the material being extracted.
Im Steinbruch wird heller Granit für den Bau von Häusern abgebaut.
Light-colored granite is quarried there for building houses.
Im Tagebau wird Kohle in einer großen offenen Grube abgebaut.
Coal is mined in a large open pit there.
