TOCANTINS, BRAZIL — Between the soil and vegetation, the white limestone stands out at a quarry in Formoso do Araguaia, in southern Tocantins. The images were taken at Morro Azul Farm, located near the TO-070 state highway.

The area is part of Mineração Rio Formoso, founded in 1975. The site contains one of the state's largest limestone deposits.

In the video, recorded by a drone, it is possible to see the entire quarry, a lake that formed in the area, the extraction sites and the paths used to transport the limestone.

Geologist Sanclever Peixoto explained that the lake formed in an area excavated during the mining process.

"Previously, there was vegetation on top of the [quarry]. It was cleared, and mining began. This part of the lake, this pond that formed, is actually an old excavation pit. When you remove the limestone, it reaches a negative elevation. So, the rainwater itself and groundwater rise and form this lake," he said.

Extraction is carried out in an open-pit operation because limestone is usually found close to the surface. In some cases, it is necessary to excavate to remove the rock below the ground elevation.

Sanclever explains that the material can be used to correct soil acidity and in cement manufacturing.

"Limestone has two main applications. The first is as a soil amendment, which is dolomitic limestone. The other type is calcitic limestone, used in cement manufacturing. An example of these deposits for cement manufacturing is the one in Xambioá. There, in the same deposit, there is both calcitic and dolomitic limestone. So, both are used in cement manufacturing, but most of the dolomitic limestone is consumed or sold as a soil amendment."

Limestone extraction requires preliminary, installation and operating licenses, which are granted by the Tocantins Nature Institute (Naturatins).

Amazon Agency