Calcite

specimen number:
2013630

location:
Ben Hogan Quarry, Black Rock, Arkansas, USA

description:
An absolutely wonderful grouping of orange lustrous translucent twinned scalenohedral calcite crystals without matrix. Complete all around and in great condition. Outstanding for this locality and species.

The Ben Hogan Quarry, also known as the Black Rock Quarry or Meridian Aggregates Quarry, is located in Lawrence County, Arkansas, and serves as a significant source of industrial stone. Geologically, the quarry excavates the Lower Ordovician Smithville and Black Rock Formations, which consist of fine-grained dolostone and limestone containing secondary mineralization within vugs and fractures. This locality is highly regarded for its aesthetic specimens of saddle-shaped pink dolomite crystals, which often serve as a vibrant matrix for colorless to honey-colored calcite crystals. These minerals are frequently accompanied by micro-crystals of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and marcasite, reflecting a low-temperature hydrothermal mineralization style common in the Ozark region. Historically, the Ben M. Hogan Company opened a rock crusher at the site in 1954, and the quarry has operated under various names, including the St. Francis Material Company and Meridian Aggregates, through the late 20th century and into the present. While its primary industrial purpose is the production of crushed stone and aggregate rather than metallic ores, it became a classic Arkansas locality for collectors from the 1960s through the 1990s due to the consistent quality and distinct color contrast of its dolomite and calcite clusters.

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