Celestine with Quartz

specimen number:
2013495

location:
Hoosier Stone Quarry, Salem, Indiana, USA

description:
An excellent example for the species for this Indiana locality. A mostly transparent lustrous double terminated Celestine crystal 4.5 cm in length perched on matrix with crystallized quartz. This is in terrific condition. Collected by Dave Rush in the 1980s. This is crystallized completely all around.

The Hoosier Stone Company Quarry, located near Salem in Washington County, Indiana, is a historic site primarily known for its production of high-quality Indiana Limestone. Established in the late 19th century, around 1888, the quarry became an important contributor to the regional building stone industry during the golden age of American stone architecture. Geologically, the quarry targets the Mississippian-aged Salem Limestone, a world-famous dimension stone noted for its remarkable consistency, durability, and ease of carving. This calcarenite was formed from the remains of billions of tiny marine fossils, such as bryozoans and crinoids, deposited in a shallow, high-energy tropical sea. The stone from this specific region is often characterized by its fine grain and pleasing gray to buff color. While many of the smaller quarries in the Salem area consolidated or closed as the industry centralized in the Bedford-Bloomington belt, the Hoosier Stone Company remains a significant part of the local industrial heritage. Today, the site is recognized for its contribution to many historic buildings and its clear representation of the unique sedimentary processes of the Carboniferous period.

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