Arkansas Rocks Gems & Minerals
Arkansas is a great state for rocks and minerals and yes
gemstones. Not only that but there’s more Arkansas is a great place for fossils
some of the big ones such as the Mammoth and saber- tooth cat. What about Diamonds, yes there here for you to
dig up! Other rock a gemstone include agate, amber amethyst, garnets, a few meteorites,
onyx, freshwater pearls, turquoise, quartz and quartz crystals. In 1995
Arkansas was the 3rd largest gemstone producer in the US, producing
nearly $5 million dollars’ worth of gemstones. Other notable rocks and minerals
include bauxite, novaculite and vanadium ore. We will look at some of these
rocks gems and minerals and provide links to guidebooks at the bottom of the
article, and references and links for you to check out if you like. Radical
Rocks links, for podcast, video’s and Facebook group also below.
Agate
Agate found usually is banded with shades of yellow orange
and tan due to iron influences, this type is found in the Crowley’s Ridge area
then extends north to south from Clay County to Phillips County. In rare cases
the agate will form a lace pattern. Also rarely found are agates that resemble
the Great lakes agates. These agates are
in the gravels and it said to have been deposited by the Mississippi river from
Missouri, and were a grayish color but iron changed the colors as they migrated
downstream. Agates are also found at the crater of diamonds state park. Many agates
are grainy but better pieces can be found that will take a polish very well.
The stones rage from small to a few pounds.
Amber
Amber was tree sap that hardened with time, it is a gem but
not a gemstone. Colors varied from yellow shades to orangish and shades of
brown. Some may be found with insects trapped inside, many new species have been
discovered in amber. Amber is light and only about 2 – 2.5 on the Mohs scale.
Amber is soft and is brittle and can flake. Amber will take a polish, but it
will melt if it gets even slightly hot and will give an odor of tar if it
burns. Do not clean amber with solvent or acetone it will melt. Amber beads are
popular for jewelry and as a teething neckless for babies. Amber is found in
the clays south and east of Malvern in Hot Springs County, amber here is not
considered gem grade but new species of insects have been discovered here.
Amethyst
The only area knows to have amethyst in Arkansas is at the
Crater of Diamonds state Park southeast of Murfreesboro in Pike County.
Crystals are not large and about 1” wide at the most. Some of the veins run a
foot across and can be quite nice. Sometimes rare inclusions of iron Goethite
can be found, like the Brazilian amethyst. Color is violet to purple and
transparent Most amethyst is ok for tumbling and samples and a few for
cabochons.
Bauxite
More Bauxite has been mined in Arkansas than any other state
in the US. Bauxite is the Arkansas State Rock. Its color ranges from a light
brown to a reddish. It is composed primarily of aluminum hydroxide. The
aluminum made from this ore likely contributed to winning WWII. A huge 20-ton
bolder sets as a monument with commemorative plaque at the Capital.
Chalcedony
Chalcedony is found in gravels of the Saline River, in
Saline county. Colors are light colored and cream colors, usually waxy nodules
with no banding. It may florescent green under an ultraviolet light.
Chert
Banded chert of cutting quality can be found. The colors
range from cream, tan, shades of brown, and gray. Chert can be found in many
locations that may be good for tumbling, the best cutting material is harder to
find. Better locations to look are in Marion County and parts of Carroll,
Baxter, northern Boone, Fulton, Randolph, Sharp, and Izard County. The best
locations for higher quality chert are in the Cotter Formation, Penters
Formation and the Boone Formation. Also, chert is found in the deposits of
Crowley’s Ridge.
Diamonds
Of course, Diamond is
the Arkansas State gemstone. So to dig the diamonds you will want to go to The Crater of the Diamonds
state Park, that is the site, however you will want to stop at the Diamond
Discovery Center and Learn more about the rocks and minerals you will find
there. More than 100,000 diamonds have
been found! The largest Diamond named
Uncle Sam came in as the largest diamond mined in America at a whopping 40.23
carats! Probably the most famous diamond was found by a tourist, it was a white
flawless 15.33 carat in the rough, then cut to 8.27 Marquise, named the Star of
Arkansas and sold for $145,000. Many diamonds found here have sold for much
much more! The three colors of diamonds found at the park are white brown and
yellow. At the park other gemstone can be found as we have included in the
article. Please see our links for guides and books for rockhounding in Arkansas
below, as well as links to the Crater of Diamonds state park. Here is a link on
it. Crater of Diamonds State
Park
Dolomite
A nice pink dolomite has been found in the north part of the
state. Here is a link on it. http://rockhoundingar.com/dolomite.php
Fossils
Many fossils have been discovered here, that date to the
“Ice age” Sabretooth cat and Mammoths have been found. Also, from the ancient see sharks’ teeth and
trilobites are also found in Arkansas
Garnets
More of a collectable than a faceting stone from my
research. Some were collected from Magnet Cove in Hot Springs County and are
sometimes sold to collectors. Here is a link on Magnet Cove. http://rockhoundingar.com/magcove.php
Jasper
Red jasper is primarily found in a few locations such as
Pike county, and Hempstead County, also Crowley’s Ridge and Crater of the
Diamonds State Park. The Red jasper takes a good polish.
Meteorites
Several notable meteorites have discovered in Arkansas. The
Paragould meteorite fell in 1933 and weighed over 800 pounds in Greene County.
Link Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Science
Opal
Opal from Arkansas is usually a coating on other minerals
and rocks and not abundant. Usually clear and glassy. It can often florescent
green due to traces of uranium salts. Dendritic black or grays (fern patterns)
have be found in greenish-yellow veins on the contact rocks at the Potash Sulfur
Springs intrusion in Garland County. At the North Wilson Pit, Paper thin fiery
opal was found restricted to the Vanadium ore body.
Onyx
In Arkansas onyx is the cave onyx that is of calcite with
banding. It is illegal to remove any materials from caves, so float material
may be found in gravels or streams.
Pearls
Pearls are made from the mollusk, or freshwater mussels.
Some of the Arkansas pearls are of high quality and have sold for excess of
$25,000 for a ¼ ounce pearl! Some good locations are the St. Francis, White,
Black, and the Arkansas rivers. Pearls are found in the muds and gravels along
the rivers. One of the Arkansas pearls was set in one of the Royal Crowns of
England. Arkansas is the 2nd largest pear producer, Tennessee is first.
Petrified Wood
Petrified wood from the eastern and southern parts of
Arkansas are colored white to cream and are not valued by collectors. Wood
found in the Crowley’s Ridge area have a color range from shades of black,
brown, and tan, that take a good polish. Also Logs and pieces have been found
in streams and creeks that run to Crowley’s Ridge from Forrest City in St,
Francis County north to Wynne in Cross County.
Quartz
Arkansas Quarts crystals are something to see, or not to see
as the best specimens can be clear colorless and have no visible flaws. Much
material can be purchased, some under the trade name “Hot Springs Diamond”.
Mount Ida is called the “Quartz crystal capital of the world”. Crystals have
been found over a foot long and sell for a premium.
Smoky Quartz
Arkansas smoky quarts is a light brown to medium brown
color. Some are banded, however uniform color is more desired. Locations are in and near Jessieville in
Garland County, and the north shore of Lake Ouachita, in Garland County. Please
note most areas are claimed or closed off to collecting.
Turquoise
Arkansas turquoise is usually deposited with quartz and
fills thin seam in the host rock of sandstone, or shale. Turquoise is usually
blue to bluish, hard and usually somewhat translucent in the Ouachita Mountains.
Turquoise of low to medium quality was also found at Porter Mountain in Polk
County at the Mona Lisa Mine. Turquoise colored green of low quality was
located also at the Coon Creek Manganese mine also in Polk County
Vanadium
Arkansas is also the is the top producer in the USA of this
ore as it is with bauxite.
Wavellite
Has been found at Montgomery County quarry on Mauldin
Mountain, in association with planerite. It is called “Cats Eye” because it
looks like a green radiating eye in its structure. It is highly collectable.
Rockhounding in Arkansas, Guide book; https://amzn.to/3cHf1k9
Collecting Arkansas Crystals; https://amzn.to/3arqxi1
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References and resources
Barwood, H. L., and deLinde, H. S., 1989, Arkansas phosphate
minerals, a review and update: Rocks and Minerals, v. 64, no. 4, p. 294-299.
Engel, A. E. J., 1952, Quartz crystal deposits of western
Arkansas: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 973-E, p. 173-260.
Howard, J. M., and Stone, C. G., 1988, Quartz crystal deposits
of the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas and Oklahoma, in Colton, G. W., ed.,
Proceedings of the 22nd Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals: Arkansas
Geological Commission Miscellaneous Publication 21, p. 63-71.
Kidwell, A. L., 1977, Iron phosphate minerals of the Ouachita
Mountains, in Stone, C. G., ed., Symposium on the geology of the Ouachita
Mountains, v. II,: Arkansas Geological Commission Miscellaneous Publication 14,
p. 50-62.
Kidwell, A. L., 1990, Famous mineral localities – Murfreesboro,
Arkansas: The Mineralogical Record, v.21, p. 545-555.
Kunz, G. F., and Stevenson, C. H., 1908, The book of the pearl:
The history, art, science, and industry of the queen of gems: New York, Century
Company [reprinted 1993 by Dover Publications, Inc., New York], p. 263-278.
Miser, H. D., 1959, Structure and vein quartz of the Ouachita
Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas, in Cline, L.M. and others, The geology of
the Ouachita Mountains – A symposium: Dallas Geological Society and Ardmore
Geological Society, p. 30-43.
Miser, H. D., and Purdue, A. H., 1929, Geology of the DeQueen
and Caddo Gap quadrangles, Arkansas: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 808, 195
p.
Schumann, Walter, 1977, Gemstones of the world: New York,
Sterling Publishing, 256 p.
Sinkankas, John, 1972, Gemstone & mineral data book: New
York, Van Nostrand-Reinhold (paperback edition of 1981), 352 p.
Smith, A. E., Jr., 1985, The aluminum phosphate minerals from
Mauldin Mountain, Montgomery County, Arkansas: Mineralogical Record, v. 16, p.
291-295.
Stockard, S. W., 1904, History of pearls and pearling in
Arkansas, in History of Lawrence, Jackson, and Independence Counties of the
third Judicial District of Arkansas: Little Rock, Arkansas Democrat Company
[reprinted 1986 by Morgan Books, Newport, Ark.], p. 166-171.
Haley,
B. R., et al. Geologic Map of Arkansas. Little Rock: Arkansas
Geological Commission, 1976.
Howard,
J. Michael. Mineral Species of Arkansas, A Digest. Arkansas
Geological Commission Bulletin 23. Little Rock: Arkansas Geological Commission,
1987.
Howard,
J. Michael, George W. Colton, and William L. Prior. Mineral,
Fossil-Fuel, and Water Resources of Arkansas. Arkansas Geological Commission
Bulletin 24. Little Rock: Arkansas Geological Commission, 1997.
McFarland,
John David. Stratigraphic Summary of Arkansas. Arkansas Geological
Commission Information Circular 36. Little Rock: Arkansas Geological
Commission, 2004.
McFarland,
John David, and J. Michael Howard. Minerals of Arkansas: An Electronic
Database. CD-ROM. Arkansas Geological Commission Geologic Software Series
1. Little Rock: Arkansas Geological Commission, 2003.
Stroud,
R. B., et al. Mineral Resources and Industries of Arkansas. U.S.
Bureau of Mines Bulletin 645. Washington DC: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Mines, 1969
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