Calcite

specimen number:
2063670

location:
Gopher Valley Quarry, Yamhill Co., Oregon, USA

description:
Non-lustrous crystals of calcite to 2.0 cm in size nice across the top of matrix. From the 1990s. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. The incredibly fluorescent under longwave ultraviolet light. In good condition.

Located in Yamhill County, Oregon, the Gopher Valley Quarry cuts through volcanic host rock associated with the Siletz River Volcanics, a massive complex of Eocene-age basalt flows, breccias, and marine pillow lavas that erupted around 50 million years ago. While the quarry has primarily operated as a commercial source of crushed basalt aggregate for local road and infrastructure projects, it gained famous renown among mineral collectors for its exceptional secondary mineralization found within gas cavities and fractures in the basalt. Late-stage hydrothermal fluids rich in silica and calcium circulating through the cooling volcanic rock deposited outstanding specimens, most notably highly lustrous spherical clusters and sprays of zeolites such as mesolite, scolecite, thomsonite, and chabazite, along with calcite and quartz. Accessible collecting opportunities at the quarry have remained strictly regulated over time due to active commercial operations, making well-crystallized specimens from this classic Pacific Northwest locality prized features in regional mineral collections.

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