Fluorite with Celestine

Unknown Owner

Honey colored partly gemmy lustrous crystals of fluorite measuring to 3.3 cm in size across the top of matrix with white bladed crystals of Celestine. Some damage present, this still very nice. Brightly fluorescent.The White Rock Quarry, located in Clay Center, Ottawa County, Ohio, is an iconic locality for both industrial mineral production and world-class mineral collecting. Established in the late 19th century, the quarry has been a consistent source of high-purity dolomite for lime production and construction aggregate. Geologically, the site exposes the Silurian-aged Lockport Dolomite, which formed in a vast, shallow carbonate sea approximately 425 million years ago. The quarry is globally famous among mineralogists for its remarkable secondary mineralization found within solution cavities and vugs. It is the premier locality for fluorite specimens that exhibit a distinct brownish-yellow or "honey" color, which often fluoresces a brilliant white or cream under ultraviolet light. Additionally, the quarry has produced exceptional crystals of celestine, calcite, and occasionally galena or sphalerite. Although it remains a restricted and active industrial operation, the White Rock Quarry is cemented in geological literature as one of the most significant mineral-producing sites in the Michigan Basin region.