Quartz

specimen number:
2292294

location:
Mt. Ida, Montgomery Co., Arkansas, USA

description:
A cluster of glassy gemmy colorless quartz crystals, the largest measuring over 4.0 cm in length. In good condition with very minimal damage present.

The Mount Ida area, located within Montgomery County, Arkansas, is widely recognized as a major center for quartz crystal mining. Geologically, these deposits are hosted within the heavily folded and fractured sedimentary rock layers of the Paleozoic Ouachita Orogeny, specifically targeting the Ordovician Crystal Mountain Sandstone and Blakeley Sandstone formations. During the final stages of the mountain-building event, low-temperature, silica-rich hydrothermal fluids filled the abundant fractures and fault zones, slowly precipitating large veins and pockets of highly optical, well-terminated quartz crystals. Small-scale surface picking by indigenous populations and early settlers dates back centuries, but organized commercial quarrying and open-pit mining began expanding significantly in the 1930s and 1940s to supply quartz for military electronics and optical instruments during World War II. Following the war, the focus shifted entirely toward industrial mineral production for the global collector market and public fee-mining tourism, with numerous private surface mines and open-pit commercial operations remaining heavily active in the region.

Questions about this specimen?
Send an email or call us: 314-341-1811.