Martin Limestone -> Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your agricultural limestone specifications?

Magnesium limestone:
Guaranteed Dry Weight Analysis: Fine Sized
Total Calcium (Ca)             21%
Total Magnesium (Mg)       12%
Magnesium Oxide               20%
Calcium Oxide                     30%
Total Oxides                         50%

Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE)     103.5
Effective Neutralizing Value (ENV)           92

Screen Test
55% through 200 mesh
75% through 100 mesh
80% through 60 mesh
98% through 20 mesh

Calcium limestone:
Guaranteed Dry Weight Analysis: Fine Sized
Total Calcium (Ca)                    30.5%
Total Magnesium (Mg)               3.3%
Magnesium Oxide                      5.5%
Calcium Oxide                           43%
Total Oxides                              48.5%

Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE)     90.4
Effective Neutralizing Value (ENV)           71

Screen Test
40% through 200 mesh
50% through 100 mesh
70% through 60 mesh
98% through 20 mesh

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What does agricultural limestone do?

Pulverized limestone neutralizes soil acidity and naturally replenishes vital calcium and magnesium nutrients in the soil which help maintain fertile soil conditions in plant root zones.

By maintaining a proper soil pH, pulverized limestone also helps to increase the effectiveness of high-cost fertilizers and herbicides. By using limestone to maintain soil pH, farmers also free-up desirable nutrients in the soil that help feed the plants and "tie-up" toxic soil elements that can reduce crop yield.

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Does agricultural lime burn the grass or crops?

No. Pulverized agricultural limestone is simply naturally-occurring limestone from the earth that is pulverized to fine-sized particles. There is nothing added nor is the natural limestone changed chemically in any way.

Some liming products are "hydrated" or burned to remove moisture. Those products become more concentrated to effect greater and quicker changes to soil pH when they are applied. Those hydrated liming products can cause burns to grass or crops and can even cause skin irritation or burns to the inside of the mouth if they are mishandled.

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How does a quarry know where the stone is?

The easy answer is knowledge of geology and understanding where certain rock types are typically found. In some cases this is common sense because of rock outcroppings that are seen in an area, but through use of research, core drillings, and other sophisticated tools geologists can begin to understand and predict the best areas in a quarry to find certain types of stone.

How deep can a quarry dig?

The depth a quarry can dig depends on many factors. Three of the most important for us are: geology, permitting, and land availability. The geology of the property determines what type of aggregate resources are under the surface. Some types of resources, such as coal for instance, can lie in distinct layers between other types of aggregates. The areas we're currently quarrying have limestone at least several hundred feet deep. Core drilling is one method of discovering how deep the aggregate actually is.

Once the geology is determined, the area must be permitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to allow quarrying. In the permit process, the quarry operator must determine how the quarrying may affect neighboring property owners and their resources, such as water. When the DEP approves the quarry operator's plan, they issue a permit allowing quarrying to a certain depth, depending on the information supplied in the permit application.

The size of the quarry property can also determine how far a quarry can dig. A quarry operator must follow safety regulations in the quarry. One of these regulations requires a 25' safety "bench" or offset for every 50' highwall. This means for each 50' the quarry goes deeper, the quarry hole becomes narrower--25' on each side of the hole. Depending on the shape and size of the quarry property, this can limit the depth that the quarry digs.

What regulations protect the quarry's neighbors?

There are state and federal regulations covering surface and underground mining. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection establishes guidelines to regulate each step in the quarrying and mining process. Those regulations cover everything from blasting safety to water quality to reclamation of the site when mining is finished.

What else can agricultural limestone be used for?

Answer coming soon. We're investigating!

What else is in agricultural limestone?

In Martin's agricultural limestone, there are no chemical additives of any kind. The limestone consists of elements from the earth that occur naturally such as clacium, magnesium, silica, iron, and other mineral elements.

What's the difference between calcium and magnesium agricultural limestone?

We're studying our geology to find this answer. The simple explanation is that different deposits of limestone in the earth have different amounts of calcium and magnesium in them. Limestones that are high in magnesium are called dolomitic limestones. Depending on which quarry we get the limestone from, it may have more of the calcium mineral or more of the magnesium mineral in and that determines whether it meets the specifications of the Pennsylvania liming law as a calcium or as a magnesium limestone.