Our Process
What Does Yahara Materials Do?
The rock that we produce, crush, and wash has a variety of uses. Of course, there are the uses everyone thinks of – like roads, bridges, and building foundations. But there are many more uses that many people would ever guess like animal bedding, volleyball courts, drainage for artificial turf, and even toothpaste!
Where Do All These Materials Go?
The truth is, we use this rock in almost everything! It takes a lot of material to repair and build roads, to improve communities, and to help vital businesses grow.
Did You Know?
More than 50,000 tons of crushed stone is needed to build one mile of a four-lane highway!
Every person in the United States uses an average of 10 TONS of rocks and minerals EVERY YEAR!
An average of 200 tons of crushed stone is used in the construction of a single home!
When done safely and correctly, we can extract rock with little disruption to our natural environment.
Understanding Our Quarry Processes
Stone quarrying is the multi-stage process where rock is extracted from the ground and crushed to produce aggregate, which is then screened into the sizes required for immediate use, or for further processing. In order to process the aggregate our communities and businesses need to grow, we follow a four step process:
Step 1 – Finding Rock
We find rock at the quarries we own and lease, and work with land development companies to extract rock from their sites as well. Once we’ve identified the area we’d like to investigate for rock, we do an exploratory investigation to determine the quality and quantity of rock.
The speed of our drills are so finely tuned, we can even tell what kind of rock we are drilling, like sandstone, limestone, or granite, while we’re drilling.
Step 2 – Uncovering the Rock
Once we’ve identified a deposit rock that we’d like to extract, we use scrapers and heavy equipment to prepare the site for excavation.
The soil we remove to expose rock is called “overburden” and we save it all for reclamation projects, like when the quarry is returned to its natural state.
Step 3 – Drilling the Rock
Once we’ve uncovered the rock, we drill holes into the rock surface in a grid pattern. We then work with a trusted, safe blasting company to fill the holes with explosives and blast the grid. After the blast, the rock is reduced to smaller pieces which we can more easily process.
Right after the rock is blasted, the resulting smaller material is called “shot rock.”
Step 4 – Crushing the Rock
Once we have created the “shot rock,” we move these pieces through a series of reduction processes to achieve the desired aggregate gradation. These pieces are moved through multi-deck screens to sort the material into various aggregate sizes.
We can adjust our crushing equipment to crush the rock into whatever size is needed so our clients can request unique sizes and we can supply with ease!
What Comes Out of the Crusher?
We adjust our crushing equipment to fulfill inventory of varying sizes which can include:
Base Course Material
Base Course Material
Like rock and sand, which are largely used for roads and parking lots. Learn More >
Clear Material
Clear Material
Like rock without fines, which is used for drainage and concrete. Learn More >
Screenings
Screenings
The smallest particles from the aggregate, which we use for bedding material. Learn More >
Responsibly Source Aggregate With Yahara Materials
When you choose Yahara for your aggregate supply, you are working with a business dedicated to responsibly stewarding the Earth’s resources while making a commitment to sustainability! Contact us to find the right materials for your next project!
