Rutile

specimen number:
2262018

location:
Graves Mtn., Lincoln Co., Georgia, USA

description:
A loose twinned crystal grouping of rutile with little attached matrix. In good condition.

Graves Mountain, located in Lincoln County, Georgia, is an world-renowned mineral locality famous for its unique metamorphic geology. The mountain is a monadnock composed primarily of kyanite-quartzite within the Piedmont geologic province. It formed through high-pressure metamorphism of aluminous sedimentary rocks, which were later altered by hydrothermal fluids rich in iron, titanium, and aluminum. This complex process produced spectacular specimens of iridescent hematite, large rutile crystals, and blue-gray kyanite. Historically, the site was first mined in the mid-1800s for its unique minerals, but its most significant industrial period occurred between 1963 and 1986. During this time, the Combustion Engineering Company operated a large open-pit mine to extract kyanite for use in high-temperature ceramics and refractories. Since the cessation of commercial mining in 1986, the site has been preserved as a legendary destination for mineral collectors, who visit the mountain to find world-class specimens of rutile and lazulite among the weathered quartzite ridges.

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