Winterswijk quarry, Vosseveld, Winterswijk, Gelderland, Netherlandsi

Regional Level Types
Winterswijk quarry	Quarry
Vosseveld	Hamlet
Winterswijk	Municipality
Gelderland	Province
Netherlands	Country

Active limestone quarry owned by the Fa. Ankerpoort. Located near Ratum.

The quarry in Winterswijk, near the hamlet of Ratum, is an open-pit mine where mainly limestone is extracted. The quarry has been in use since 1932, by NV Winterswijkse Steen- en Kalkgroeve, now part of Sibelco. One of the three quarries is still in use. This is the last one that can still be exploited here. Production is approximately 200 kilotons/year. The two other quarries are now protected as nature reserves. They are also (along with nineteen other areas) part of the Winterswijk National Landscape proclaimed by the Dutch government in 2005, an area totalling almost 22,000 hectares.

The limestone that is extracted comes from the Muschelkalk and was developed here as dolomitic limestone. The stone is quite soft. The limestone is crushed and mainly used in road construction (asphalt concrete) and in the fertilizer industry.

The rock that occurs here dates from the Triassic geological period and was formed between approximately 240 - 236 million years ago in a shallow sea (similar to the Wadden Sea). Due to a fold in the Earth's surface and because there have been almost vertical shifts in the surface, the older deposits are higher here than elsewhere. The area in question is only 2,800 meters long, 200 meters wide and about 40 meters thick and is known for its fossil discoveries. The finds range from shells such as Myophora to bone remains of four species of Nothosaurus (N. juvenilis Edinger, 1921; N. marchicus Koken, 1893; N. Winkelhorsti Klein & Albers, 2009; N. winterswijkensis Albers and Rieppel, 2003). In addition, various minerals such as marcasite, galena, calcite, and Winterswijk 'gold' pyrite occur.

Due to the very calm sedimentation environment, various phenomena have been preserved. Well-known features include wave ridges, shrinkage cracks and raindrop pits. In addition, ichnofossils of worm-like animals are known and footprints of saurians.

In the top layers on top of the limestone and close to ground level, beautiful thawing phenomena (cryoturbation) can be seen locally, probably dating from the last ice age, the Weichselian.

Groundwater is pumped out of the eastern and oldest quarry, so that it can now be managed as a nature reserve. A special flora and fauna has developed here.

For years, there have been open days in the quarry during the summer months, during which interested parties could look for fossils. This came to a (temporary) end in 2016. The operator only wants to determine whether the quarry will become accessible again after an analysis of the safety risks. A number of other events can also no longer take place. Only the performances in the Steengroevetheater during the construction holidays can still continue as normal.

An extensive collection of footprints and walking tracks of Saurians from the Triassic, and a full-size model of these primitive land animals, could be viewed in the Freriks Museum in Winterswijk until the end of 2012. Since the closure of the Freriks Museum on January 1, 2013, the geological collection has been stored in a depot.

During the holiday period of the Ankerpoort company, a temporary theater has been set up in the quarry in recent years: the Steengroevetheater. A festival site with a stage, stands, catering facilities and tents will be built at the bottom of the 30-meter deep quarry. The high rock walls provide a unique backdrop and create a magical atmosphere by moonlight.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steengroeve_Winterswijk
Wikidata ID:	Q2225463

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References