THE HISTORY OF RED ROCK

Thousands of years before the Pharaohs thought to construct their towering pyramids; early man was warming himself beside the software crackle of stick fires in North Alabama.  Fire is what brought to pass this beautiful and durable rock.

The story of red rock began over a century ago when miners came in search of coal.  In early days, the miners sought only the purest coal of highest quality and discarded everything else.  Unfortunately the coal seams were not pure but contained veins of lower quality coal, shale, sandstone, clay, and other minerals.  These other minerals were often referred to as slag.  From the underground minds small rail cars brought the coal and slag to the surface.  There, the outside miners separated the good clean cal form the lower quality coal and slag.  The top quality coal was sold while the waste slag was dumped into large piles adjacent to the mine portal.

Through a process known as spontaneous combustion the piles caught fire and burned for years.  Once burning slag was nearly impossible to extinguish and the piles smoldered for years at temperatures exceeding 2000 degrees.  The intense heat from the burning coal fused shale, sandstone, clay and silt together while iron pyrites found in the coal seam caused the burning slag to turn red.  The giant “oven” has been compared to brick making process so our red rocks are often referred to as “nature’s brick”.
The circumstances that led to the creation of red rock will almost certainly never be repeated.  Today, all coal mined is valuable, since very little burnable coal is discarded with the slag.  Strip mining laws prohibit the creation of large waste piles in order to prevent the spontaneous combustions of slag.

The red rock we have today through a wonder to behold and a great landscaping material and high quality road building item will eventually be exhausted.  Our durable red rock as a very unique history, yet found a second life in landscaping, running tracks, flowerbeds, and in our road systems including the interstates. 

Contact us for more information at 1-888-749-2880