Haumann looks at the spatial patterns of open-pit limestone mining in the Mettmann district of Germany and tries to explain why these “holes” are in the places they are and why they took the shape they did. Although mining was of course to some extent determined by the location of limestone deposits, knowledge of the underground terrain and legal practices also played a major role in where mining actually took place. He concludes that cultural contexts of social practices are just as important as the material context in which these social practices developed.
DOI: doi.org/10.5282/rcc/6203