Port Inland, Michigan

One of several large limestone and dolomite mines in Michigan, located on the shore, which are some of the largest such operations in the nation. This one ships 3-4 million tons of high calcium carbonate limestone and dolomite per year. Limestone is one of the most readily available materials on the planet. The chief value of the quarry here is its proximity to the shores of the Great Lakes, which provide the most inexpensive means of transportation for the material, by freighter or barge, to a large number of industries and cities along its shores. The Port Inland operation has a shoreline processing area and loading dock, connected via a haul road and railway to its main quarry, five miles north. It is owned by Carmeuse, a Belgian lime and limestone company.