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Dist:0.3km<br/>The A511 - the main road between Coalville and Leicester - looking north west.
©Robert Pugsley
Dist:0.4km<br/>Looking westwards along a shallow valley from near Old Hall Farm.
©Trevor Rickard
Dist:0.5km<br/>A rather complicated mix of geology at this site, not even the British Geological survey really know what happened. Mainly though there are pre Cambrian (roughly 600ma) volcanic tuffs and a dacite intrusion. 600 million years ago the world was very different, England was in the southern polar regions. Lots of volcanic ash and debris was laid down after settling out of the water. Roughly 450 millions years ago during the Ordovician a dacite intrusion formed (dacite is half way between andesite and rhyolite) to the left of the picture. The heat of the intrusion with the wet tuff sediments mixed and created peperite. In the quarry there was a small amount of quartz, gold and copper found. Later on as England drifted north erosion took hold and wore down the sediments, especially through the carboniferous. When England formed in part of Pangea there was deposition of Mercia muds (along with bands of dolomite). This is what is now the overburden and a major cost to the quarry. The quarry has 8-10 years of production left, currently aggregate industries plc wants to open a new quarry the other side of the SSSI and highest point (to the left out of view). Reserves are estimated to be 130 million tons which depending on market conditions could last 10-40 years. This would be the last reserve in Leicestershire. Overburden would create bunds and fill this pit for landscaping. The primary crusher would move then the rock conveyored over to the present site.
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.6km<br/>An ancient valley filled in with a mix of mercia muds and dolomite bands. Below if the hard volcanic tuffs, formed under water at the time of eruptions. Now the red stuff as the geologist put it is overburden and has to be remove. It costs £1-2 to removed one cubic metre of the rock.
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.6km<br/>Looking down into the deep pit, each stage is roughly 15 metres and the hole will continue to grow deeper until it is no longer safe. Water is pumped out (pipe bottom left) and used in other processes on site. See also [[[2101860]]].
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.6km<br/>A rather foggy view, see [[[2101860]]]
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.7km<br/>Reducing the size of the various rocks before they head off to be further crushed and stockpiled. Lots of the products head south to London by rail.
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.7km<br/>Looking west into the quarry from behind the safety fence beyond the trig point. Managed by Aggregate Industries, this is one of the largest quarries in the UK, producing granite aggregate for road, railway and other construction projects. Stone is taken off site by road (75%) and via a direct rail connection which runs two trains per day (25%). http://www.aggregate.com/Sustainability/Biodiversity/Case-studies/Bardon-Hill-rock-quarry/
©Trevor Rickard
Dist:0.7km<br/>A view of the quarry workings from the top of the hill.
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.7km<br/>
©Ray Jackson
Dist:0.8km<br/>Geologists about to head home after having a talk from the quarry geologists. The talk included information on what of course is in the hole (or really what came out of it) along with information about the extension and future of the industry in the county. Seen from the trig point, the highest place in Leicestershire.
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.8km<br/>Part of the processing plant on site with sludge lake on the right (doesn't actually look like sludge though).
©Ashley Dace
Dist:0.8km<br/>Viewed from the top of Bardon Hill. Operated by Aggregate Industries PLC.
©Roger Cornfoot
Dist:0.8km<br/>Old Hall Farm near Bardon Hill. A moated farmhouse. The original building from 1450 was demolished in 1840 but the moat remains.
©Roy William Shakespeare
Dist:0.8km<br/>Old Hall Farm, nr.Bardon Hill. The original 1451 farm house was demolished in 1840 but the moat remains.
©Roy William Shakespeare

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