Red Rock is one of the most durable and versatile stone products available today. Red Rock is the result of shale, sandstone, clay and siltstone fired red by the intense heat from burning in old coal slag piles.
The quality of Red Rock makes it a cost effective choice for most any project. It is ideal for landscaping, driveways, and sports field surfaces. Red Rock is screened into five sizes and all products weigh about one ton to the cubic yard. Any quantity of stone can be processed to meet your individual specifications. Red Rock is a cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing landscaping material. It's great for decorating shrubs and gardens because it is fade resistant, helps control weeds, and reduces erosion.
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. |
