Rare Gems and Minerals in Kansas
Kansas is endowed with numerous gemstones, fossil and mineral resources that you can dig up and collect. If you are a minerals enthusiast, then you will find a lot of collectible specimens in this state. A few of the popular gemstones and minerals found in Kansas are:
Calcite is an interesting mineral specimen that is produced from calcium carbonate found in Kansas. Calcite crystals can appear in a very wide range of interesting shapes such as prisms, rhombohedra, and tubular form among others. It may also exist in fibrous, compact, lamellar, or granular forms.
The naturally occurring calcite is usually white in color, although other colors such as red, yellow, orange, gray, blue, green, brown, black, and violet may also exist, especially when the mineral contains impurities. The calcite mineral is usually transparent but may also be opaque, fluorescence, or phosphorescence.
In Kansas, you can find calcite in Fogle quarry in Franklin County, the Ajax Mine in Baxter Springs, and several mines in Cherokee, Lawrence, and Black Rock County.
The Chalcopyrite is important sulfide, cope iron mineral naturally found in Kansas. It is golden yellow in color, and its hardness is between 3.5 and 4. Chalcopyrite is commonly found in both sedimentary exhalation deposits and volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits that are formed during the hydrothermal circulation when copper is deposited.
In some states, chalcopyrite is found associated with hydrothermal gold deposits. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in Kansas, there is very little gold in this state.
Chalcopyrite is an extra mineral commonly found associated with nickel ore deposits, shaped from sulfide fluids in sulfide-immersed magma.
In this environment chalcopyrite is shaped by a sulfide fluid stripping copper from an immiscible silicate fluid. In Kansas, the Chalcopyrite is most commonly found at several locations in Cherokee County.
Galena is the most common mineral type of lead sulfide. It is the most essential ore of lead and a critical source of silver. It is regularly connected with the Minerals Calcite, Sphalerite, and fluorite. Galena is the principle mineral ore of lead, utilized since old times.
In quite a number of deposits, galena contains around 1-2 percent silver, a product that far exceeds the fundamental lead mineral ore. Galena ores also contain a significant amount of silver as included silver sulfide mineral stages.
In Kansas, you can find the Galena in Tri-state Lead-Zinc Mining distinct, the mid-continent Mines and the Baxter Springs and Cherokee County. It is often found as black cubic crystal formations.
Kansas has a number of important fossils that you can look for. In the eastern half of the state, you find the Paleozoic sedimentary shales and limestone rocks that are known to have numerous fossils. The western half of the state, on the other hand, is made up the Cenozoic and the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks which are rich in vertebrates and invertebrate fossils.
There is a wide variety of fossil types in Kansas. Many rockhounds enjoy collecting prehistoric coral, gastropod, trilobite, sponge, plant, and insect fossils.
Fossils can be found just about anywhere in the state. In the Flint Hills it is usually smaller invertebrates that are found. In the Niobrara Chalk and the Smoky Hills there have been lots of neat fossils found including shark teeth, fish fossils, and some huge prehistoric swimming reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs.
Calcite
Calcite is an interesting mineral specimen that is produced from calcium carbonate found in Kansas. Calcite crystals can appear in a very wide range of interesting shapes such as prisms, rhombohedra, and tubular form among others. It may also exist in fibrous, compact, lamellar, or granular forms.
The naturally occurring calcite is usually white in color, although other colors such as red, yellow, orange, gray, blue, green, brown, black, and violet may also exist, especially when the mineral contains impurities. The calcite mineral is usually transparent but may also be opaque, fluorescence, or phosphorescence.
In Kansas, you can find calcite in Fogle quarry in Franklin County, the Ajax Mine in Baxter Springs, and several mines in Cherokee, Lawrence, and Black Rock County.
Chalcopyrite
The Chalcopyrite is important sulfide, cope iron mineral naturally found in Kansas. It is golden yellow in color, and its hardness is between 3.5 and 4. Chalcopyrite is commonly found in both sedimentary exhalation deposits and volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits that are formed during the hydrothermal circulation when copper is deposited.
In some states, chalcopyrite is found associated with hydrothermal gold deposits. Unfortunately this isn’t the case in Kansas, there is very little gold in this state.
Chalcopyrite is an extra mineral commonly found associated with nickel ore deposits, shaped from sulfide fluids in sulfide-immersed magma.
In this environment chalcopyrite is shaped by a sulfide fluid stripping copper from an immiscible silicate fluid. In Kansas, the Chalcopyrite is most commonly found at several locations in Cherokee County.
Galena
Galena is the most common mineral type of lead sulfide. It is the most essential ore of lead and a critical source of silver. It is regularly connected with the Minerals Calcite, Sphalerite, and fluorite. Galena is the principle mineral ore of lead, utilized since old times.
In quite a number of deposits, galena contains around 1-2 percent silver, a product that far exceeds the fundamental lead mineral ore. Galena ores also contain a significant amount of silver as included silver sulfide mineral stages.
In Kansas, you can find the Galena in Tri-state Lead-Zinc Mining distinct, the mid-continent Mines and the Baxter Springs and Cherokee County. It is often found as black cubic crystal formations.
Collectible Fossils
Kansas has a number of important fossils that you can look for. In the eastern half of the state, you find the Paleozoic sedimentary shales and limestone rocks that are known to have numerous fossils. The western half of the state, on the other hand, is made up the Cenozoic and the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks which are rich in vertebrates and invertebrate fossils.
There is a wide variety of fossil types in Kansas. Many rockhounds enjoy collecting prehistoric coral, gastropod, trilobite, sponge, plant, and insect fossils.
Fossils can be found just about anywhere in the state. In the Flint Hills it is usually smaller invertebrates that are found. In the Niobrara Chalk and the Smoky Hills there have been lots of neat fossils found including shark teeth, fish fossils, and some huge prehistoric swimming reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs.
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