List of Quarries in Alabama & Quarry
Links, Photographs and Articles

• Calera (near), Shelby County, Alabama – “Black Marble” Deposit (excerpts from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916)

  “There are several places in the State where black marble is known to occur, although it has never been worked commercially, for the reason that there is very little market for this stone at the present time. Most of the so-called ‘black marble’ is not a marble at all but is a very dark gray limestone which takes a nearly black polish. (For the character of the grain of this marble see Plate V B.)....

  “The variegated Cambrian marble from near Calera is said to change locally to a black marble.”

• Calera, Alabama – O'Neal Limestone Quarry (present-day company), 3703 Hwy 31 N., Calera, Alabama 35040; (205) (205) 664-9025; (205) 969-2629.
• Calera (south of east of), Shelby County, Alabama - Variegated Marbles Near Calera (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916, pp. 86-90)

  Shelby County Variegated Marbles Near Calera.

   Location and Age.

  “About four miles a little to the south of east of Calera, in Shelby county, occurs a deposit of variegated marble belonging in age to the Beaver or Aldrich limestone, which occurs toward the base of Montevallo shale formation. All the strata in this area are somewhat metamorphosed.*

  (* Page 86 footnote: Report on the Valley Regions of Alabama, Pt. 2, Geol. Surv. of Alabama, 1897, pp. 513, 514.)

  “The marble deposit is exposed in two contiguous valleys. The best exposed locality is about ¼ mile southwest of the point where the main stream of the Buxahatchee Creek cuts through, and parallels for a short distance, the outcrop of marble. It is here in a steep bank at the head of a ravine in the NW. ¼ of the NE. ¼ of S. 8, T. 24-N., R. 14-E. The other exposure is about 1 ¼ mile northeast of the one just mentioned near a small branch of the Buxahatchee on the property of J. W. Miller, in the NE. ¼ of the N2 W. ¼ of S. 4, T. 24-N., R. 14-E. Between these two localities the marble is not exposed though its location is marked by a ridge-forming sandstone which occurs immediately under the marble.

  (Map caption - map not included here) Figure 27. Section across the strike through the Pratt’s Ferry marble deposit, showing the basin-like character of the deposit and explaining the absence of outcrop of the marble on the east side of the basin and the sub-carboniferous isolated area on the highland east of the river. The depression in the marble outcrop represents the location of the Cahaba River. The old marble quarry was located on the west bank of the river at this point in the NW. of S. 32 (see map Figure 26).

  “Accessibility.

  “The southwestern of the two exposures is easily accessible to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which could reach it by spur track, having low grade, in a distance of less than two miles. (See map of area, Figure 28.)

  “Character of Marble.

  “Mr. Butts* gives the following section at the southwest of the two exposures:

  Sandstone, highly ferruginous (loose ore) - 20’
  Shale, weathering yellowish-green - 20’
  Marble, thick-bedded, fine grained, variegated - 25’
  Sandstone (quartzitic?) coarse, with quartz veins - 50’

  (Page 88 footnote: Contribution to Economic Geol. bull. 470, pp. 237-239, 1910.)

  “The character of the marble is also described by Mr. Butts as follows:

  “‘The marble is thick bedded, the layers being 3 to 4 feet thick. They are cut by joints which divide them into blocks of considerable size, and it seems probable that under good cover even larger blocks that could be obtained would have to be determined by tests involving excavation and the actual working of representative samples of the rock. The rock is very fine grained and takes a high polish. Part of the layers are gray and part are variegated with deep red and pale pink, the whole stratum being composed perhaps of one-half of each kind. The color is due to a coating of iron oxide on the limestone grains. The variegated layers appear to prevail in the upper portion, the gray layers below. The rock is traversed by many white and bluish-gray calcite veins, and here and there by thin stringers of small quartz grains. The variegation gives to the rock a highly ornamental effect when polished, and it would appear to possess superior qualities for decorative purposes.’

  (Map caption - map not included here) Figure 28. Showing location and geological setting of the Shelby county variegated marble.* (*Geology from map by Chas. Butts, Bull. U. S. G. S., 470)

  “On the property of J. W. Miller in NE. of NW. S. 4, T. 24, R. 14-E., the exposure shows the upper portion of the marble bed for about 15 feet. There seems to be 10 to 15 feet more marble concealed in the valley. The marble here is similar to that shown in the exposure near Buxahatachee Creek.

  “The marble in the two exposures cited above is semi-crystalline. The particles making the ground-mass are fine, having a grain size of from .03 m.m. to .003 m.m. The crystals which occur in the ground-mass are very irregular in outline and from .1 to .15 m.m. in diameter (see Plate IV A and Figure 29.). On account of the perfect cementation of the marble after fracture and on account of the interlocking character of crystals, the marble should be unusually strong.”

• Clark County, Alabama – Salt Works Limestone Quarry – Video of the old Salt Works limestone quarry available on the Encyclopedia of Alabama.
  

  “An expert describes the process of quarrying limestone at the central Salt Works in Clarke County. The limestone was used to build the furnaces that evaporated salt water taken from underground.

“This video was produced by the University of Alabama Center for Public Television.”

• Cherokee, Alabama - Cherokee Quarry located 3 miles east of Cherokee, AL on old Hwy 72 (present-day company), Vulcan Materials Co., Cherokee Quarry, P.O. Box 459, Cherokee, AL 35616; (256) 359-6404.
• Chewacla (near), Alabama - Dolomite Quarries (excerpts from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916)

• Figure 28. Showing location and geological setting of the Shelby county variegated marble. Geology from map by Chas. Butts, Bull. U.S.G.S., 470. (Bulletin 18, 1916, pp. 89)

  “About 5 miles southeast from Opelika, Lee county occurs a narrow strip of highly crystalline dolomite (see thin section Plate VI A). This dolomite is for the most part a beautiful pearly white stone. The belt in which the dolomite occurs is about a third of a mile wide and is known to extend for several miles in a northeast and southwest direction (see map of the area, Figure 30). This stone has been quarried extensively in the past for lime. The chief quarry is located near Chewacla in the NE of the SE. of S. 4, T. 18, R. 27-E. Quarries in this dolomite have been opened at several places in the past, including Echols’ Mills and Springvilla.

  “Chemical Analysis shows the stone to be nearly pure dolomite.

  “A light colored talc occurs in some of the layers in small streaks and spots and where present in considerable amount would interfere with the use of the stone for ornamental purposes. It is probable that there are portions of the deposits free from the talc impurity, and if prospecting proves this to be the case we would have here a first-class building stone.

“The Chewacla dolomitic marble is almost identical in appearance with the Cockeysville dolomitic marble of Maryland, so much used in and about Baltimore.”

• Childersburg (north of east of), Alabama - Onyx Marble Cave (from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916, pp. 90-92)

“Onyx Marble

 “Location and Extent of Deposit.

“A cave of considerable dimension occurs in the Knox Dolomite formation about 5 miles a little N. of E. of Childersburg in the SE. of the NE. of S. 12, T. 20, R. 3-E. In the huge entrance chamber of this cave, which is approximately 25 feet wide and 450 feet long, there is a large amount of high grade onyx-marble. The stalactites hang in large masses from the high ceiling, and the drippings from the stalactites have built up numerous massive stalagmites, some of the larger ones being as much as 10 feet in diameter. In other places the stalagmites and stalactites have grown together forming massive columns of onyx-marble. Locally the precipitation of the onyx-marble on the side walls of the cave have considerable thickness, while in other places, as is to be expected, the onyx coating is very thin. There are a number of rooms and passage-ways leading from the main entrance chamber, which have available onyx-marble. Prospecting near the entrance of the cave has shown the presence of large onyx boulders. One of these seen had a maximum diameter of 12 feet. These boulders occur in the dolomite and red clay soil, and evidently mark the position of passage-ways into the cave which have been filled by the precipitation of the calcium carbonate from the mineral waters seeking entrance into the cavern.

“The natural entrance into the cave has been enlarged by an open cut 230 feet long, 27 feet deep, and 15 feet wide at the bottom. This cut is nearly on a level with the floor of the cave. In this cut, which shows about two-thirds red clay and gravel, and one-third stone, onyx was encountered in the form of boulders in the dolomite within about 20 feet of the main entrance to the cave. It is figured that this latter part of the cut will yield about 1 ½ car loads of high grade onyx.

“Up to the present time (circa 1916) no work has been done in the cave toward developing the marble.

“Quantity.

“Several mining engineers from the different railroads, have visited the cave in the last 2 or 3 years. These engineers have reported from 100,000 to 200,000 cubic feet of onyx-marble in sight. They also seem convinced that there is a considerable amount of boulder onyx in the mountain in the neighborhood of the cave.

“Character of Marble.

“A large percentage of the stone occurring in the stalactites and stalagmites is available for use. The color on an average is excellent, and the onyx is much freer from holes than many of the cave onyx deposits. The coloring in the marble is for the most part cream, pink, and red, and the stone is full of life and transparency. An analysis of this marble made by the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co., shows 99 per cent. calcium carbonate, and about 1 per cent. silica and iron.

“Economic Consideration.

“The cave is located within about 2 miles of the Southern Railroad, and a spur track could be extended to the opening of the cave without much grading.

“At present time (circa 1916) the European war has disturbed the market for onyx, but ordinarily the price of onyx-marble of an average grade is about $6.00 per cubic foot. f. o. b. The demand for onyx-marble is relatively small, but it is thought by men in the marble business that market could be had for at least 10,000 cubic feet per year, and possibly a greater amount if the market was carefully solicited.

“There are doubtless many other caves in the great limestone region of the State which have considerable amount of onyx-marble. There are, however, many things to be considered in the development of such a property, and the quantity of onyx in such caves is usually very much overestimated by those who have not had experience in such matters. Before developing cave properties it would be wise to have them carefully examined by a competent geologist or mining engineer.”

• Colbert County, Alabama - Limestone (USGS) Colbert County limestone has large, isolated shells and other fossils and is similar to Indiana limestone.
• Colvin Mountain (north side of), Calhoun County - Deposit of “Black Marble” (excerpts from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916)

  “There are several places in the State where black marble is known to occur, although it has never been worked commercially, for the reason that there is very little market for this stone at the present time. Most of the so-called ‘black marble’ is not a marble at all but is a very dark gray limestone which takes a nearly black polish. (For the character of the grain of this marble see Plate V B.)....

  “On the north side of Colvin Mountain, near its eastern extremity, about eight miles west of Piedmont and about ¾ mile a little east of south from the point where Calhoun, Etowah and Cherokee counties corner, there is to be found a small opening in a deposit of ‘black marble’ of probable Pelham age. The deposit as shown here is for the most part thin bedded, the layers being seldom more than two feet in thickness. At other exposures in this same region, however, the layers are much thicker. A shaft of black marble from this locality is on exhibition in the Museum of Natural History at the University of Alabama. Between the above exposure on the north foot of Colvin Mountain and the Coosa River, along the foot of Colvin Mountain and in the bottomlands bordering it, there are to be found a number of exposures of this black marble.”

• Decatur (southeast of), Alabama - Gray Marble Deposit (excerpts from Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama, Bulletin 18,” by William F. Prouty, Geological Survey of Alabama, 1916)

  “A semi-crystalline gray marble occurs in the Sub-Carbonifious (sic) limestone in a number of places in the Tennessee Valley. This gray marble resembles the commercial gray marbles of Tennessee. Some very beautiful samples have been recently received by the Geological Survey of Alabama from a little southeast of Decatur, Alabama. A photomicrograph of a thin section of this marble from the NW. corner of S. 13, T. 6, R. 3-W is represented in Plate VII B.”

• Dolomite, Alabama (north of Bessemer) - Limestone Quarry. "...the company opened a new limestone quarry at Dolomite to the north of the city of Bessemer." (This link is no longer available.)
  <http://www.bham.net/bessemercc/bhh4.html>

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