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Arkansas’ State Rocks and Minerals By Margi Jenks Most of the states in our country have named various “state” flowers, trees, etc. in recent years. Arkansas, of course, has named its state mammal (white-tailed deer), state flower (apple blossom), and state instrument (fiddle). So, in 1987 Arkansas designated a state mineral (quartz), a state rock (bauxite), and a state gem (diamond). Each of these state rocks is known either for its rarity in other states, or for its unusual characteristics. Much of the information in this article is from the Arkansas Geological Survey website (www.geology.ar.gov). Diamonds are the obvious choice for state gem because of the Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro in southwest Arkansas. Only one other place in the United States has ever produced diamonds—the stateline kimberlite district on the Colorado/Wyoming border. However, because the Arkansas deposit is a state park, it is the only place in the world where the public can search for diamonds and keep any that they find. Quartz crystals, the Arkansas state mineral, are found in most of the states in the United States. However, the size and quality of the Arkansas quartz crystals makes it the best deposit of high quality quartz in the nation. The chemically pure Arkansas quartz crystals are in high demand because they are used to manufacture high tech materials, like fiber optic cables and quartz wafers. The large and beautiful quartz crystals are mined by several companies located in the area of Mt. Ida, AR, northwest of Hot Springs, AR. The crystals formed from hot spring water filling in cracks in the rocks of the Oauchita Mtns. and are believed to be around 250 million years old.
Bauxite, the Arkansas state rock, is the commercial ore for aluminum. The ore is formed by the chemical weathering of an aluminum-rich granitic rock called nepheline syenite. Therefore, it is an old soil that can either be the result of the weathering in place or can be the result of stream transportation. It was discovered in Arkansas in the early 1890’s and commercial mining began 1895. The production of aluminum in the United States was particularly important during WWII when the War Production Board set up a plan to stockpile the ore in case shipments to the U.S. were disrupted. The bauxite deposits are located in Pulaski and Saline Counties. Since WWII most of the bauxite ore processed in the United States is imported. The last Arkansas bauxite production figures were reported in 1981. Arkansaurus foot bones
If Arkansas had a state fossil it might be a dinosaur fossil with the informal name Arkansaurus fridayi. The foot bones for this dinosaur were found by Mr. J. B. Friday in 1972 in a gravel pit near Lockesburg, AR in southwestern Arkansas. In that same area hundreds of dinosaur tracks have been discovered preserved in gypsum. The Arkansaurus appears to belong to a class of dinosaurs called Theropods. The more famous Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor dinosaurs also belong to the Theropod suborder. Like all of these dinosaurs, the Arkansaurus probably walked on its two hind legs, and had specialized hands with three digits. It was small, reaching a full height of only 15 feet, and fed on small animals, insects, fruits, plants, and eggs. It lived along the ocean shoreline from around 144 to 97 million years ago, when what is today southern Arkansas was covered by a shallow sea. Search area last plowed: October 20, 2011; Most recent heavy rain: December 4 and 5, 2011 Total diamonds found in 2011: 527 Diamonds registered for December 4-December 10, 2011 (100 points = 1carat): December 5 - David Anderson, Murfreesboro, AR, 2 pt. white, 6 pt. white, 11 pt. white; Lynn Hale, Franklin, NC, 4 pt. brown December 6 - Al & Ella Bell, Murfreesboro, AR, 6 pt. white December 7 - Larry & Monna Carter, Anchorage, AK, 10 pt. white December 8 - Daryl Boyer, Little Falls, MN, 2 pt. white, 5 pt. white December 9 - Jim Graham, Prescott, AR, 3 pt. white |
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Phone: (870) 285-3113
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