For many years, the Mrs. and I enjoyed occasional visits to the Conklin Limestone Quarry in Lincoln, RI. It was a huge, and very deep open pit quarry and one of the most famous mineral hunting locations in New England. Collectors came from all over the East. You never knew when new pockets of nice minerals and crystals would be uncovered by the quarry operations. It was well known for beautiful specimens of Bowenite, the state Mineral of Rhode Island.
In 2004, the quarry was allowed to flood, and the pit is now a very deep lake. I believe the company does allow one to visit on Sundays and pick through the tailings, but it's been years since we've visited the location. Operated since the 1650's, it was one of the oldest quarries in the United States.
You can also find quality jasper there, and for years archaeologists wondered if the prehistoric inhabitants had ever been able to source that jasper. It is indistinguishable in color from some jasper from Pa. We knew the Jack Reef culture in particular really preferred jasper. Were all their points made from Pa jasper, or was some made from Limerock jasper?
About 20 years ago, prehistoric workings of outcrops and boulders of Limerock jasper was discovered near the quarry and thus it became known that the jasper had been sourced in the distant past.
This past weekend, knowing it was not easy to collect anymore, I purchased a nice raw chunk of Limerock jasper at the annual gem, mineral, and fossil show of the RI Mineral Hunters. Quite a few of our personal find jasper artifacts are the same shade. Only destructive testing can determine if these artifacts are Pa jasper or Limerock jasper. But certainly some of the jasper artifacts from RI and Ma were fashioned from this local source...
In 2004, the quarry was allowed to flood, and the pit is now a very deep lake. I believe the company does allow one to visit on Sundays and pick through the tailings, but it's been years since we've visited the location. Operated since the 1650's, it was one of the oldest quarries in the United States.
You can also find quality jasper there, and for years archaeologists wondered if the prehistoric inhabitants had ever been able to source that jasper. It is indistinguishable in color from some jasper from Pa. We knew the Jack Reef culture in particular really preferred jasper. Were all their points made from Pa jasper, or was some made from Limerock jasper?
About 20 years ago, prehistoric workings of outcrops and boulders of Limerock jasper was discovered near the quarry and thus it became known that the jasper had been sourced in the distant past.
This past weekend, knowing it was not easy to collect anymore, I purchased a nice raw chunk of Limerock jasper at the annual gem, mineral, and fossil show of the RI Mineral Hunters. Quite a few of our personal find jasper artifacts are the same shade. Only destructive testing can determine if these artifacts are Pa jasper or Limerock jasper. But certainly some of the jasper artifacts from RI and Ma were fashioned from this local source...
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