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Draft:Quarry End Plenkertweg

Coordinates: 50°51′54.5″N 5°49′5.33″E / 50.865139°N 5.8181472°E / 50.865139; 5.8181472
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Groeve Einde Plenkertweg

The Groeve Einde Plenkertweg is a marl quarry and geological monument in South Limburg, Netherlands, located in the municipality of Valkenburg aan de Geul. This underground limestone quarry is situated in the hamlet of Plenkert, west of Valkenburg, along Plenkertstraat. The quarry is located at the northwestern edge of the Polferbos forest on the northern edge of the Plateau of Margraten, transitioning into the Geuldal valley. Here, the plateau descends steeply several meters.[1][2]

Approximately 600 meters to the west lies the Viltergroeve quarry, about 30 meters to the west is the Pompstation Heytgracht, approximately 45 meters to the southwest is the Carolusgroeve, and around 250 meters to the east are the Roman Catacombs and the Heidegroeve.[3]

History

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The quarry was excavated by block breakers for the extraction of limestone blocks.

Quarry

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Groeve Einde Plenkertweg consists of a single, branched passage about ten meters long.[2]

The entrance to the quarry is secured to allow bats to use it as a habitat.

The quarry is managed by the municipality of Valkenburg. In 2017, the quarry was inspected for safety and approved.[4]

Geology

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The quarry was established in the uppermost part of the Nekum Member of the Maastricht Formation. The quarry was initially excavated in search of suitable building stones for construction. However, it soon became apparent that the quality of the limestone was too poor to cut into building stones. The composition of the limestone in this quarry is highly variable, making it susceptible to weathering from rain and frost. The most commonly found fossils in this limestone are sea urchins of the species Hemipneustes striatoradiatus, usually found only as fragments in the marl.[5]

Above the quarry entrance, the Caster Horizon is visible in the limestone wall, with the Meerssen Member above it.[5]

See also

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  • List of geological monuments in South Limburg

50°51′54.5″N 5°49′5.33″E / 50.865139°N 5.8181472°E / 50.865139; 5.8181472

References

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  1. ^ Topographic height map. Archived on October 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b The underground limestone quarries in South Limburg
  3. ^ Inventory of entrances to underground limestone quarries in the Netherlands, 2002-2004, Joep Orbons, Study Group for Underground Limestone Quarries
  4. ^ Inspections of marl quarries in South Limburg in 2017
  5. ^ a b Geological monuments in South Limburg (CD-ROM), P.W. Bosch, W.M. Felder, Netherlands Institute for Applied Geosciences TNO, 1999