The collection of limestone involves the use of demolition or explosive materials. Often, workers will drill bore holes into the face of the rock they are dealing with. They will then insert explosives with graduated firing times into those pre-formed holes. Once blown, the rock pieces will be collected by loaders and transported elsewhere, often to be crushed.
A lot of the collection sites for limestone are open quarry pits. During the 19th century in particular, these sites proliferated throughout the country. By the 20th and 21st centuries, however, the use of limestone as a primary building material has decreased and the number of smaller quarries have been reduced into larger, more collectivized pits. The states of Michigan and Tennessee are pertinent examples of these trends.
The other major option for operators is to mine for the limestone underground. This is generally a more costly approach than open quarries, but can be necessary depending on circumstances. Some underground efforts in Iowa for example are a result of poorer construction quality limestone being available above-ground. The cost is aggravated by the need for even sterner safety measures for miners operating underground.
After the primary collection effort, the collected limestone is typically brought to a venue for crushing. This is due to the two primary uses for limestone outside of construction. The first is concrete and the second a soil additive used in the agricultural industry. Both of them require a fine end product far removed from its solid, original form.