What is Illinois State Mineral?

Illinois’ State Mineral The General Assembly made fluorite the State Mineral in 1965, when fluorspar min- ing was a multimillion-dollar-per-year industry in Illinois. Over the years, much more fluorite has been mined in Illinois than in any other state.

What is the state mineral of Illinois and what is it used in?

Official State Mineral of Illinois

Fluorite is an important industrial mineral; it’s used in the production of steel (used as a flux, or cleaning agent), to make hydrofluoric acid (for pottery, optics, and plastics), to make opalescent glass, and in enameling cookware.

What is the state mineral?

Table of minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones

What is the Illinois state rock?

Fluorite

Deep purple, amethyst, sky blue, sea green, sunny yellow, and crystal clear—the mineral fluorite comes in all colors. Many types of fluorite even glow under ultraviolet light.

What is Illinois fluorite?

Fluorite is the “State Mineral” of Illinois. Fluorite forms in a variety of colors and is transparent to translucent in clarity. The chemical composition of Fluorite is CaF2, (calcium & fluorine.) The variation in colors are due to trace amounts of other elements replacing the calcium during the crystalline formation.

What is the Illinois state amphibian?

eastern tiger salamander

The eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) was named Illinois’ State Amphibian after a vote of Illinois citizens in 2004 and approval by the General Assembly in 2005.

What gemstones are found in Illinois?

A wide variety of rocks and minerals can be found in the area including agate, jasper, many geodes, calcite, and even diamond. Notably, Southern Illinois is famous for its fluorite and fluorspar mines.

Are diamonds found in Illinois?

No bona fide finds of diamonds are indicated in Illinois but seven places are shown where there have been “reports of finds – probably true” along the Mississippi River, roughly above St. Louis, and along the lower Rock River.

Is there gold in Illinois?

Gold is not known to occur in minable deposits anywhere in Illinois, so prospecting essentially refers to recreational panning. Gold has never been mined in Illinois, not even as a by-product of other types of mining such as fluorite, zinc-lead, or sand and gravel.

Where can I dig for fluorite in Illinois?

To find fluorite in Illinois, you should head to the southern parts. You can find fluorite in the deposits near Cave-in-Rock. Another excellent place is Rosiclare.

Where are geodes found in Illinois?

The most prolific zone for collecting geodes in western Illinois is in the lower part of the Warsaw Shale of the Valmeyeran Series (middle series of the Mississippian System). These sedimentary strata were deposited in shallow seas that covered what is now the midcontinent about 350 million years ago.

Where Can You Dig geodes in Illinois?

In Illinois, geodes can be found most easy in the Warsaw Formation in the area of Nauvoo, Hamilton, and Warsaw.

Can you find quartz in Illinois?

Many dense varieties occur in Illinois; the most common is chert. Well-formed, prismatic crystals of quartz are typically six-sided and elongated with sharply pointed pyramid-like ends. Quartz crystals are apt to grow together, in clusters. Good, large crystals are rare in Illinois.

Can you find obsidian in Illinois?

… 10 prehistoric obsidian artifacts analyzed and reported here come from a variety of archaeological contexts in Illinois and include samples from the American Bottom, western Illinois, and the lower Kaskaskia River regions (Figure 1).

Is there obsidian in Illinois?

Virtually all of the obsidian documented in Illinois has come from Middle Woodland contexts, and it occurs mostly during a relatively restricted horizon that is commonly referred to as Hopewell.

Where can I find fossils in Illinois?

Fossils can be found throughout Illinois. Even gravel in a driveway or rip rap along lake and river banks can be great sources for fossils. The most famous fossil collecting site in Illinois is the Mazon Creek area near Braidwood. This location in northeastern Illinois is an old coal strip mine.

What dinosaurs lived in Illinois?

Illinois may be home to one of the world’s first-class cities, Chicago, but you’ll be sad to learn that no dinosaurs have ever been discovered here—for the simple reason that this state’s geologic sediments were being eroded away, rather than actively deposited, during most of the Mesozoic Era.

Did Illinois used to be an ocean?

The Illinois of 325 to 540 million years ago was a shallow tropical ocean (Fig. 3). Illinois was located almost at the equator at that time.

Where can I find trilobite fossils in Illinois?

The best collecting is at outcrops of shale, limestone, and dolomite in quarries, roadcuts, and natural exposures. The Paleozoic rocks of Illinois have long been known for their abundant and well-preserved trilobite fossils.

What is Illinois fossil?

The Pennsylvanian species Tullimonstrum gregarium (“Tully Monster”) is the Illinois state fossil. It is one of the few officially designated state fossils that is endemic to the state it represents.

Are trilobite fossils rare?

Complete trilobite skeletons are relatively rare, and were probably preserved when the sea floor was buried by mud during major storms. Normally, the membranes that hold the skeleton together will decay and the skeleton will fall apart. The various pieces will be scattered by waves, currents or scavenging animals.

Can I find fossils in creeks?

This fossil collecting location contains Devonian marine fauna, including fossil trilobites and brachiopods. These Devonian fossils are found in mudstones and shales along creeks.

Where can I find Megalodon teeth?

Megalodon teeth have been discovered in several locations across North America, most notably along the depths of streams in Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, among other places. Every continent has been known to unearth Megalodon teeth, except Antarctica.

Where is the best place to dig for fossils?

Top 10 Places to See Fossils that Rock

• Petrified Forest National Park. ARIZONA. …
• Dinosaur National Monument. COLORADO. …
• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. …
• Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. …
• Devonian Fossil Gorge. …
• Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. …
• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. …
• Badlands National Park.