This is Throwback Thursday #315. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! email:esconi.info@gmail.com.

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Atlas Obscura has an interesting post about the Empire Quarry located in the area of Bloomington, Indiana. This quarry supplied the 18,630 tons of stone used to build the Empire State Building in the 1920’s.

Indiana is known for its rocks. Some of the world’s finest limestone hails from the area surrounding Bloomington and Bedford, Indiana. Many of our iconic building are constructed of Indiana limestone, including the Empire State Building, the Washington National Cathedral, the Pentagon, and many current state capital buildings.

Remember the Dennis Quaid movie “Breaking Away”? That movie told the story of the decline of the limestone industry as building preferences shifted from stone to glass and metal during the early 20th century.

The most famous of these quarries is the Empire Quarry, which provided the 18,630 tons of stone needed to construct the Empire State Building. The quarry is so long and so deep, one can imagine the entire Empire State Building lying within it, refilling the 207,000 cubic feet of empty space now left vacant.

The imagery of most Indiana limestone quarries–and Empire Quarry in particular–is striking. The sheer walls and straight drop-offs of the precisely removed stone create unnaturally deep pools of water as rain and groundwater collects in the artificial basin. The deepness of these pools and minerals from the limestone foundation give the water a stunning aquamarine hue, attracting visitors and enticing swimmers and “cliff” divers to bathe in the sometimes unsafe waters. Many locals have been injured diving off the quarry walls into the water below because the depth often changes and is hard to judge.

This is a warning at the end of their post. Do not visit this quarry as it is private property and is posted “No Trespassing”!

Note that this is private property- if you’re caught here you may be scolded by a grumpy man in a hard hat. As of July 2017, there are now signs that read, “No Trespassing. Live Ammunition In Use.” To reach the quarry, you must follow precise directions. Starting at the Dollar General in Oolitic, you’ll want to take the highway heading out. Driving down you’ll see a church. Take a left at the Church. Take this road all the way down past the brewery. At the end of the road there will be a cemetery on the right on a rock road. If you get confused stop in the dollar general and ask the cashier for directions to the Empire Quarry. They’ll know.