Gravel extraction

For the song by the Wu Tang Clan, see Gravel Pit.
Gravel pit in Tullingeåsen, which forms part of Uppsalaåsen.

A gravel pit is an open-pit mine for the extraction of gravel. Gravel pits often lie in river valleys where the water table is high, so they may naturally fill with water to form ponds or lakes.[1] Gravel pit lakes are typically nutrient rich and can support thriving ecosystems, but can also present environmental issues such as the release of toxic metals into watersheds from the exposed rock.[2] Old, abandoned gravel pits are normally used either as nature reserves, or as amenity areas for water sports, landfills and walking. In Germany former gravel or sand pits that have filled up with water are known as Baggersee ("power dug lake") and popular for recreational use. In addition, many gravel pits in the United Kingdom have been stocked with freshwater fish such as the common carp to create coarse fishing locations. Gravel pit lakes have also been stocked with carp in Denmark, as well as rainbow trout.[3] Gravel and sand are mined for concrete, construction aggregate and other industrial mineral uses.

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See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gravel pits.
  1. ^ Deere, Don W.; Hayden, Colby J.; Church, Glen G. (2006-11-03). "Gravel Pit Reservoirs — Colorado's Water Storage Solution". American Society of Civil Engineers: 158–173. doi:10.1061/40890(219)12. ISBN 978-0-7844-0890-2. {cite journal}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ Mollema, Pauline N.; Antonellini, Marco (2016-08-01). "Water and (bio)chemical cycling in gravel pit lakes: A review and outlook". Earth-Science Reviews. 159: 247–270. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.05.006. ISSN 0012-8252.
  3. ^ Søndergaard, Martin; Lauridsen, Torben L.; Johansson, Liselotte S.; Jeppesen, Erik (2018-01-15). "Gravel pit lakes in Denmark: Chemical and biological state". Science of The Total Environment. 612: 9–17. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.163. ISSN 0048-9697.