Mud Hollow
Loam pits or loam pits once served to acquire building land . For clay for plastering, filling in or corrugating , you sometimes needed different clay qualities (different clay content, stone-free), which were extracted in different pits. The clay was also used to make clay bricks , which were then burned in close proximity to the clay pit using coal . Here, weather-resistant bricks, the so-called field fire bricks or bricks, were created .
Termination of dismantling and re-use
Abandoned loam pits usually remain open after mining has ended and often fill with groundwater . This often gives rise to still waters, which are also known as brick ponds . They are often used as a fish pond or bathing lake and can be part of a recreation area . In many cases, the waters develop into retreats for animals and plants. Even birds and nature reserves may arise.
If earlier clay pits have little or no contact with the groundwater, the hole is usually filled. It serves as a landfill for excavated earth, building rubble or household waste . In earlier times, some hollows were used to store hazardous waste .
Small-scale clay extraction
After the topsoil had been removed from a clay deposit, wooden stakes were driven into the clay about 1 meter from the edge of the intended pit and watered. The edge collapsed as a result of the weather (rain, frost / thaw changes), was soaked through on the pit floor and prepared by frost ( frost bake ).
In the spring a pliable, lump-free clay was available for building in the pit, which was removed before it dried out.