Calcite

specimen number:
2102213

location:
York Building Supply Quarry, York Co., Pennsylvania, USA

description:

A beautiful orange translucent lustrous double terminated crystal of calcite 12.0 cm in size set nicely up on matrix. This is in good condition with minimal cleaving on the backside as shown in the video. Collected in the late 1990s by Byron Brookmeier.

The York Building Supply Quarry, located in York, Pennsylvania, is a well-known regional site for industrial limestone and mineral collecting. Geologically, the quarry is situated within the Ledger Formation, a Cambrian-aged sequence of crystalline dolomite and limestone that forms part of the Conestoga Valley. The mineralization in this area occurred as fluids moved through joints and fractures in the carbonate rock, depositing secondary minerals, most famously calcite. Historically, the quarry has operated as a source of construction aggregate and building stone for several decades, with peak mineralogical interest occurring during the late 20th century. In the late 1990s, specifically around 1997 and 1998, a significant pocket was discovered that produced exceptional orange calcite specimens. These crystals are highly regarded for their vivid, saturated orange color, which is attributed to trace inclusions of iron oxides or organic compounds, and for their sharp rhombohedral and scalenohedral habits. While the quarry remains an active industrial site with restricted access, the material recovered during that era remains a benchmark for Pennsylvania calcite.

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