Atabaki quarry and stone economy

Effects of minerals on the economy

Mineral resources are very valuable as raw materials used in industrial production and some economic activities such as construction. The countries that have these resources can get rich foreign exchange earnings from the processing and supply of these materials to the world markets. Among the valuable minerals are decorative stones that are found in nature in various forms and properties and are widely used in production activities. Iran is one of the countries that has various reserves of decorative stones. By properly exploiting these reserves and processing them, not only can we create suitable job opportunities in the society, but by exporting these stones, significant foreign exchange income will also be obtained. Today, stone mining, especially decorative stones, is one of the most important sources of income for countries. Iran is also one of the countries that has a good position in the world in the extraction and export of decorative stones. Some of Iran’s decorative stone examples are unmatched in the world. Therefore, Iran’s decorative stone mines are economically important. Regarding the production and supply of Iran’s decorative stones (which are among the first countries in the world in terms of variety, reserve and quality), it is necessary to use all the necessary facilities and tools in order to obtain significant income with optimal production. May the country be blessed.

Decorative stone, a non-renewable resource

Decorative stone mines are one of the finite resources, so it is important to pay attention to the economic method of their production and exploitation, decorative stone has had a good market in Iran and other countries in recent years. Iran is a developing country that relies on oil revenues. Paying attention to the economic and technical issues of mines and using appropriate production methods in them makes it possible to obtain reliable sources of income in addition to oil. In the past years, decorative stone mines have been extracted in uneconomical ways. This means that prospecting, exploration and extraction operations in mines have been done without any scientific planning and foresight. Exploitation plans were mostly unrealistic and formal. Also, there have been no practical requirements regarding the quality control of materials and products and the observance of scientific, technical and economic considerations. In this context, the opinion of miners also emphasizes the high volume of production waste. Such problems, regardless of the loss of mineral reserves and the increase in waste, cause irreparable economic losses. For this reason, the creation of planning systems, control of materials and scientific production in mines is a necessity. Due to the increasing importance of the production and extraction of decorative stones in Iran and the world, production planning in this field is of particular importance. In this regard, the Atabaki stone mine of Firozabad, which is operating exclusively in its own way, was chosen as the subject of this article.

Atabaki marble mine in Firozabad

Atabaki marble mine of Firozabad is located at kilometer 9 of Firozabad Farashband road in the north of Jehadabad village in Fars province. This mine is located in the southern region of the Pedto anticline in the Zagros mountains overlooking the Firuzabad plain and has the structure of Asmara limestones from the Yaligomiocene period. Bivalve fossils can be seen in the rocks in the upper part of the mine. The limestones belong to the Asmari Formation of Jahrom and are creamy white in color and porous. White and relatively soft stone is extracted from this mine, which has malleability and is used for decorative items in construction. In the Atabaki marble mine, a reserve of about 150,000 tons is expected, which is under the tailings of approximately 50,000 tons. The total amount of mineral reserves cannot be used due to the existence of cracks resulting from tectonics and other atmospheric factors and stone mining waste. About 40% of the reserve is in the form of waste. Therefore, the amount of salable stone is approximately 60 percent. The extraction method in this mine is in the form of using wire cutters, pars and wedges.