Most of the quarries are in the vicinity of the city of Sobral, which quarry operators and prospectors use as a home base when visiting these sites. Often, just getting to the quarries is a task itself, as virtually all of them are well off the beaten path and require an experienced driver and a well-suited vehicle. While some of these rough mountain roads are short, most are relatively long - up to 12 or 15 miles.

From a marketing standpoint, the exotics tend to be marketed as quartzite and granite, although the geology can vary from quarry to quarry. Some sites also yield conglomerate stone.