Did you know that there is a crater as deep as a 45-storey building in the East Zone of São Paulo? Despite its colossal size, Pedreira Lageado goes unnoticed by many São Paulo residents – even its neighbors in the East Zone.
If the idea of an “urban quarry” seems curious, you should know that this stone giant has been a key figure in the history of São Paulo. After all, it has been providing raw materials for the city’s construction industry for almost 70 years, making it possible to build thousands of properties in SP.
In other words: your house may only exist because of Pedreira Lageado, and you may never have known about it. Learn about the impressive history of this “abyss” hidden in the heart of São Paulo’s capital.
Do you know Pedreira Lageado?
The quarry’s history begins in 1957, a time when São Paulo was undergoing rapid urban expansion. Its aim was to supply the great demand for materials for civil construction, enabling the construction of buildings, avenues and infrastructure throughout the capital.
Today, Lageado is the most urban quarry in São Paulo and is more than 150 meters deep. Located in the heart of the Guaianases district, it produces crushed stone and other materials needed for engineering works.
Although there are other quarries in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Lageado has made one of the biggest contributions to the growth of the capital, having produced much of the concrete that is part of São Paulo’s daily life.
Does the quarry pose a risk to local residents?
In its early days, in the 1950s, Pedreira Lageado was far from the urban core. After all, at that time, the East Zone was sparsely inhabited and there were practically no houses there. Over time, however, the city grew and surrounded the “crater”, leaving it side by side with residential neighborhoods.
Many wonder: wouldn’t it be dangerous to live next to the quarry? For many residents of Guaianases, the noise of the explosions has become routine, along with the earth tremors. But, according to the mining company responsible, specialists monitor the explosions, which follow a series of technical and environmental standards – which seeks to minimize the impacts of the Lageado Quarry on the community’s daily life.