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Porphyry quarries, Quenast, Rebecq, Walloon Brabant, Wallonia, Belgiumi
Regional Level Types
Porphyry quarriesGroup of Quarries (Active)
QuenastSub-municipality
RebecqMunicipality
Walloon BrabantProvince
WalloniaRegion
BelgiumCountry

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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
50° 39' 53'' North , 4° 9' 20'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Quarries (Active) - last checked 2019
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Rebecq-Rognon10,049 (2011)3.7km
Tubize21,859 (2011)4.3km
Braine-le-Comte20,133 (2014)6.2km
Ittre6,014 (2011)8.0km
Braine-le-Château9,627 (2011)8.5km
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
ClubLocationDistance
4M6110 Montigny-le-Tilleul, Hainaut35km
Mindat Locality ID:
310
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:310:7
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Name(s) in local language(s):
SA Carrières Unis de Porphyre de Quenast, Rebecq, Brabant Wallon Province, Belgique


Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock known for its hardness and durability, the Porphyry of Quenast consists of over 80% of Feldspar.

The exploitation of Porphyry in the area goes back to the 16th century.
In 1844 M. Zaman purchased the best quarries and in 1864 he grouped the seven quarries into one society, the SA Carrières Unis de Porphyre de Quenast.

Today the quarry has become an immense operation, in area and depth one of the largest quarries in Europe with an annual capacity of 2 million metric tons but at the moment averaging about 1,8 million metric tons a year.

Originally, because of its durability, the Porphyry was used for the production of cobblestones for roads, one can still see them in many old roads in Belgium and France (the annual speed cycling event Paris-Roubaix is an epic event due to the many strips of cobblestones ("pavés" in French or "kasseien" in Dutch) that are very hard physically on the athlete but also ruin many bikes).

Nowadays the main product is gravel for projects where hardness, durability, and resistance of the gravel is of great importance.

Porphyry from the area has been used for instance in the huge Delta Works in the Netherlands, in the "Chunnel" (the tunnel under the English Channel linking France to the United Kingdom) and for the high-speed TGV tracks (they exclusively use Porphyry).

Today four Porphyry quarries are operated (in order from east to west): Quenast, Bierghes, and the side by side located quarries of Lessines and Deux-Acren.

It is strictly forbidden to enter the quarry, and the quarry management does not give any permits for collecting.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.


Mineral List


33 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

Actinolite
Formula: ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
Albite
Formula: Na(AlSi3O8)
Albite var. Oligoclase
Formula: (Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
Analcime
Formula: Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O
Anatase
Formula: TiO2
Habit: zoned microscopic (0.2mm) tabular crystals with opaque tips
'Apatite'
Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
'Apophyllite Group'
Formula: AB4[Si8O22]X · 8H2O
Habit: fragile masses with small {110}{102} crystals, sometimes showing the {100} faces (Buttgenbach, 1918)
Colour: milky white
Description: associated with epidote
'Asbestos'
Habit: fibrous
'Axinite Group'
Colour: pale violet
Description: often associated with epidote, sometimes with apophyllite, biotite, calcite, orthoclase and/or prehnite
References:
'Biotite'
Formula: K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Bornite
Formula: Cu5FeS4
Brookite
Formula: TiO2
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Habit: scalenohedra, fibrous coatings ending in a hexagonal prism topped with facets
Description: Chemical analysis by Schoep (1943) shows the presence of nearly 4% of MnO.
'Chabazite'
Habit: flattened spheres made up of concentric lamellae up to 5mm in length; (sometimes twinned) rhombohedra
Colour: white to beige; yellow
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
'Chlorite Group'
'Clinozoisite-Epidote Series'
Copiapite ?
Formula: Fe2+Fe3+4(SO4)6(OH)2 · 20H2O
Description: Based on a single specimen and visually identified.
Coquimbite ?
Formula: AlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
Description: Based on a single visually identyfied specimen.
Epidote
Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Habit: thin needles
Colour: green
'Feldspar Group'
Description: in geodes, crystals are sometimes pseudomorphed to axinite
Galena
Formula: PbS
Goethite
Formula: Fe3+O(OH)
Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O
Hematite
Formula: Fe2O3
References:
Harjo Neutkens collectionIdentified by Harjo Neutkens: Visual Identification
Ilmenite
Formula: Fe2+TiO3
Kaolinite
Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Colour: white
'K Feldspar'
'K Feldspar var. Adularia'
Formula: KAlSi3O8
'Lepidolite'
Habit: star-shaped aggregates of hexagonal plates
Colour: green to pale brown
Magnetite
Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4
Description: A microscopic constituent of igneous rock.
Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Microcline
Formula: K(AlSi3O8)
Molybdenite
Formula: MoS2
Muscovite
Formula: KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Orthoclase
Formula: K(AlSi3O8)
Habit: crystals up to 1mm, elongated along the c axis (Cesàro, 1891)
Colour: colourless, pink
Description: associated with epidote and chlorite. Buttgenbach (1947) considered it to be rhodochrosite, but later XRD analysis revealed it to be orthoclase.
'Phillipsite Subgroup' ?
Formula: (Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
Prehnite
Formula: Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Habit: globules, sometimes containing epidote crystals
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Pyrrhotite
Formula: Fe1-xS
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Quartz var. Smoky Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Rhodochrosite ?
Formula: MnCO3
Rutile
Formula: TiO2
Siderite
Formula: FeCO3
Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
Titanite
Formula: CaTi(SiO4)O
'Tourmaline'
Formula: AD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
Zircon
Formula: Zr(SiO4)
Colour: reddish

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Bornite2.BA.15Cu5FeS4
Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Pyrrhotite2.CC.10Fe1-xS
Galena2.CD.10PbS
Molybdenite2.EA.30MoS2
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Goethite4.00.Fe3+O(OH)
Magnetite4.BB.05Fe2+Fe3+2O4
Hematite4.CB.05Fe2O3
Ilmenite4.CB.05Fe2+TiO3
Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
var. Smoky Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
Rutile4.DB.05TiO2
Anatase4.DD.05TiO2
Brookite4.DD.10TiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Rhodochrosite ?5.AB.05MnCO3
Siderite5.AB.05FeCO3
Malachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Coquimbite ?7.CB.55AlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
Gypsum7.CD.40CaSO4 · 2H2O
Copiapite ?7.DB.35Fe2+Fe3+4(SO4)6(OH)2 · 20H2O
Group 9 - Silicates
Zircon9.AD.30Zr(SiO4)
Titanite9.AG.15CaTi(SiO4)O
Epidote9.BG.05a(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Actinolite9.DE.10◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
Prehnite9.DP.20Ca2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Muscovite9.EC.15KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Kaolinite9.ED.05Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Microcline9.FA.30K(AlSi3O8)
Orthoclase9.FA.30K(AlSi3O8)
Albite9.FA.35Na(AlSi3O8)
var. Oligoclase9.FA.35(Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
Analcime9.GB.05Na(AlSi2O6) · H2O
Unclassified
'K Feldspar
var. Adularia'
-KAlSi3O8
'Apophyllite Group'-AB4[Si8O22]X · 8H2O
'Asbestos'-
'Biotite'-K(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
'Chabazite'-
'Chlorite Group'-
'Feldspar Group'-
'Lepidolite'-
'Phillipsite Subgroup' ?-(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
'Tourmaline'-AD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
'Clinozoisite-Epidote Series'-
'K Feldspar'-
'Apatite'-Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
'Axinite Group'-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H Actinolite◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
H AnalcimeNa(AlSi2O6) · H2O
H Apophyllite GroupAB4[Si8O22]X · 8H2O
H BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
H CopiapiteFe2+Fe43+(SO4)6(OH)2 · 20H2O
H CoquimbiteAlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
H Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
H GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
H GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
H KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
H MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
H MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
H Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
H PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
H Clinozoisite-Epidote Series
H ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
BBoron
B TourmalineAD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
CCarbon
C CalciteCaCO3
C MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
C RhodochrositeMnCO3
C SideriteFeCO3
OOxygen
O Actinolite◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
O K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
O AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
O AnalcimeNa(AlSi2O6) · H2O
O AnataseTiO2
O Apophyllite GroupAB4[Si8O22]X · 8H2O
O BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
O BrookiteTiO2
O CalciteCaCO3
O CopiapiteFe2+Fe43+(SO4)6(OH)2 · 20H2O
O CoquimbiteAlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
O Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
O GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
O GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
O HematiteFe2O3
O IlmeniteFe2+TiO3
O KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
O MagnetiteFe2+Fe23+O4
O MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
O MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
O MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
O Albite var. Oligoclase(Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
O OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
O Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
O PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
O QuartzSiO2
O RhodochrositeMnCO3
O RutileTiO2
O SideriteFeCO3
O Quartz var. Smoky QuartzSiO2
O TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
O TourmalineAD3G6 (T6O18)(BO3)3X3Z
O ZirconZr(SiO4)
O Clinozoisite-Epidote Series
O ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
FFluorine
F BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
F ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
NaSodium
Na AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Na AnalcimeNa(AlSi2O6) · H2O
Na Albite var. Oligoclase(Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
Na Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
MgMagnesium
Mg Actinolite◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
Mg BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
AlAluminium
Al K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
Al AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Al AnalcimeNa(AlSi2O6) · H2O
Al BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Al CoquimbiteAlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
Al Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Al KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Al MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
Al MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Al Albite var. Oligoclase(Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
Al OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
Al Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
Al PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Al Clinozoisite-Epidote Series
SiSilicon
Si Actinolite◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
Si K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
Si AlbiteNa(AlSi3O8)
Si AnalcimeNa(AlSi2O6) · H2O
Si Apophyllite GroupAB4[Si8O22]X · 8H2O
Si BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Si Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Si KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Si MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
Si MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Si Albite var. Oligoclase(Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
Si OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
Si Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
Si PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Si QuartzSiO2
Si Quartz var. Smoky QuartzSiO2
Si TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
Si ZirconZr(SiO4)
Si Clinozoisite-Epidote Series
PPhosphorus
P ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
SSulfur
S BorniteCu5FeS4
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S CopiapiteFe2+Fe43+(SO4)6(OH)2 · 20H2O
S CoquimbiteAlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
S GalenaPbS
S GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
S MolybdeniteMoS2
S PyriteFeS2
S PyrrhotiteFe1-xS
S SphaleriteZnS
ClChlorine
Cl ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
KPotassium
K K Feldspar var. AdulariaKAlSi3O8
K BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
K MicroclineK(AlSi3O8)
K MuscoviteKAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
K OrthoclaseK(AlSi3O8)
K Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
CaCalcium
Ca Actinolite◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Ca GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Ca Albite var. Oligoclase(Na,Ca)[Al(Si,Al)Si2O8]
Ca Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
Ca PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
Ca TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
Ca Clinozoisite-Epidote Series
Ca ApatiteCa5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH)
TiTitanium
Ti AnataseTiO2
Ti BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Ti BrookiteTiO2
Ti IlmeniteFe2+TiO3
Ti RutileTiO2
Ti TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
MnManganese
Mn RhodochrositeMnCO3
FeIron
Fe Actinolite◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2
Fe BiotiteK(Fe2+/Mg)2(Al/Fe3+/Mg/Ti)([Si/Al/Fe]2Si2O10)(OH/F)2
Fe BorniteCu5FeS4
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Fe CopiapiteFe2+Fe43+(SO4)6(OH)2 · 20H2O
Fe CoquimbiteAlFe3(SO4)6(H2O)12 · 6H2O
Fe Epidote(CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH)
Fe GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
Fe HematiteFe2O3
Fe IlmeniteFe2+TiO3
Fe MagnetiteFe2+Fe23+O4
Fe PyriteFeS2
Fe PyrrhotiteFe1-xS
Fe SideriteFeCO3
Fe Clinozoisite-Epidote Series
CuCopper
Cu BorniteCu5FeS4
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cu MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
ZnZinc
Zn SphaleriteZnS
ZrZirconium
Zr ZirconZr(SiO4)
MoMolybdenum
Mo MolybdeniteMoS2
BaBarium
Ba Phillipsite Subgroup(Ca0.5,K,Na,Ba0.5)4-7[Al4-7Si12-9O32] . 12H2O
PbLead
Pb GalenaPbS

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

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