Aggregate with expansive minerals is not too uncommon. It is always ruled out for ready-mix. However, poor design standards and mix testing lets crap like this slip through. Salt water calcium chloride contamination of sand can be bad in the gulf, I don’t know about this area in question.
Sounds like the quarry pulled a lot of wool over peoples eyes to get them to look the other way.
I knew some guys that built a runway with oversized aggregate that had internal contamination like this situation. The runway had to be shut for over a year prior to resurfacing or replacement. I was second bidder so I had no sadness for the Owner or the contractor with the bad design/build problem.
Yeah. The ready-mix operator usually also runs the quarry, and they have no problem understanding proper aggregate base sieve analyses when they are selecting their quarry sites. They fully know how to mix and select their media.
Only exceptions are possibly a larger business operated by brethren who aren’t held accountable for learning their business. Instead they might swing deals with dredging operations for inexpensive sand.
I tend to prefer the small owned businesses which are kept clean and well organized, manifesting they are giving you an efficiently operated product at a competitive price.