Dundas Quarry
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a.k.a. Lafarge Quarry - Dundas, Ontario
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The Quarry History: Limestone has been quarried from this deposit since 1935. It is
classified as bituminous dolomitic limestone. The formation is called the Guelph
and Lockport Formation and was formed in the Silurian Period. The quarry is one
of the largest in Canada. The Canada Crushed Stone Division of SteeTley
Industries operates the quarry for blast furnace flux, crushed stone and lime.
Mineral List Mineral Images
Sources of Information |
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A BLAST at the Dundas Quarry |
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| April 1st .... Before |
During blast |
After |
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| Rainy Day Collecting |
Searching through a fresh blast pile |
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Minerals of the Lafarge
Quarry, Dundas Ontario
Compiled by T.J., London Gem and Mineral Club, Photos by NG
- Calcite - well formed scalenohedral XLS,
"dogtooth"; rhombs with curved faces; honey-coloured to transparent
- Celestite - bladed or tabular white and blue XLS; fragile; 1"+ in
width with inclusions of chalcopyrite
- Fluorite - clear, yellow-brown, purple and green (rare) cubic XLS to
3"; purple massive
- Gypsum - glassy, clear cleavage plates are variety selenite; small
transparent crystals; white granular masses in the walls
- Sphalerite - amber to black XLS; often rounded faces; bluish tinge and
resinous lustre, XLS and radiating fibrous aggregates
- Galena - metallic gray cubic XLS up to 1"
- Pyrite - as small brassy yellow cubes, pyritohedrons and multi-coloured
octahedrons; micro material has been found in many XL habits e.g.
"stag-horns"
- Marcasite - bronze yellow XLS often intergrown with pyrite; coxcomb habit
- Quartz - colourless to white; XLS, botyoidal or spherical aggregates
- Selenite - colourless crystals
- Strontianite - colourless XLS, white crusts and spheres
- Dolomite - white to yellowish
- Chalcopyrite - brass-yellow tetrahedral XLS
- Pyrrhotite - bronze yellow to copper red hexagonal plates; usually
massive; unstable
- Aragonite - white, fibrous
- Melanterite - colourless to grey white powder, fine hairs appear as
secondary formation on sulfides
The following are found as powdery to fine crystalline coatings:
- Anglesite - white coating on galena
- Cerussite - greyish white
- Goethite - rusty
- Gunningite - greyish white
- Rozenite - white
- Sulphur - yellow to rusty
Also reported:
- Copiapite (yellow)
- Hydrozincite
- Plagionite
- Romerite
- Smithsonite
Also found:
- Chert - white & brown, occurs as nodules and lenses
- Hydrocarbons - black lustrous; occurs as small nodules and irregular
patches
- Fossils that include crinoids, corals, bryozoa, brachiopods, gastropods
and trilobites; some of them are replaced by small dolomite crystals
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| IMAGES of
Minerals Collected at the Dundas Quarry, Ontario, Canada |
| CALCITE |
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