Quartz Crystal Deposits of Western Arkansas
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Quartz Crystal Deposits of Western Arkansas By A. E. J. ENGEL CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, 1951 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 973-E Geology of an important domestic source of quartz for optical and oscillator use UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1952 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary . GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price $1.50 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract______-_:________-___-____-___________-___-______-_____ 173 Introduction ____ _________________________________________________ 174 History of mining__________________-__-_-_______----_-_--__-_----_ 175 Production and use of crystals.________^____________________________ 178 Geology--...---.-----.---.--------------------------------------- 186 Stratigraphy.__________-_--___-___----.-_-___---_---_-_-_-_-_- 186 General features.___-___________--_---_------.-_-_-._-__-__ 186 Principal quartz-bearing formations______1_________________ 187 Crystal Mountain sandstone (Ordovician?) _______________ 187 Blakely sandstone (Ordovician)_________________________ 189 Structure___._____--___-_-__-__-__-___-_________-_____________ 192 Structural features of the Ouachita anticlinorium_---_____.____ 192 Fractures controlling the deposition of quartz _________________ 194 Quartz deposits_.________"__________-______________________________ 200 Form, size, and distribution_____-_______.__._______._;________ 200 Classification of oscillator-grade quartz__-________________ _______ 205 Crystal forms__._____.__________^._.--___________-_-___.______ 206 Simple crystals.____-----__--__-----_____ r ---______________ 207 Complex crystals __________________________________________ 209 Twinning..__________________.________1______________.____ 210 Color_._______.__..---._....__--..._.__..-._........_-._._ 213 Cavities and inclusions._______________________-_- _________-____ 214 Fractures and cleavages_-_-_--l_-__--------_-_-------__________ 218 Textures._________________________________^________________ 219 Minerals associated with the quartz_____________ _______________ 227 Wall-rock alteration and replacement-________________-_._-__-_-- 230 Relationship between vein minerals and type of wall rock.__________ 232 Secondary features related to deformation________________________ 235 Summary of origin___________________________________________ 237 Age of the quartz deposits._____________________________________ 243 Suggestions to prospectors._____________________________________ 243 Quartz crystal mines and prospects ______________________________ -245 McEarl mine__________-____-_-_---_____--___-_--__---_-_ 245 Diamond Drill Carbon Co. No. 4 mine.______________________ 246 Dierks No. 4 mine (Blocker lead)-----_-__----_-------_--_--_- 246 Miller Mountain mine.____________________________________ 248 Hamilton Hill mine..______________________________________ 249 Fisher Mountain mine______________________________________ 252 Willis mine________-._______-._...._.-..__-____...._....... 253 Marler mine_______-_____-____--___-___-_-__-_________--_- 254 Other mines and prospects._---.__________-__-__--_____-___- 255 Literature cited_____i_____________--___-_________-________..-____-- 255 Index._____________________________________________________ 259 HI IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 25. Map of western Arkansas showing the distribution of the quartz crystal deposits__-__-_-_--__----_-_________ In pocket 26. Geologic map and sections of the Fisher Mountain area, Mont gomery County, Ark_-____________________________ In pocket 27. Geologic map and sections of the Chance area, Garland County, Ark.-__----------.------------------------------- In pocket 28. Geologic map and sections of the Miller Mountain area, Gar land County, Ark______-__--___-__-__-__________ In pocket 29. Crystal-studded quartzite slab from a fissure vein on Fisher Mountain_ ________________________________________ 198 30. Quartz veins in Stanley shale, western Arkansas.___________ 199 31. Quartz vein in Stanley shale exposed along Arkansas High way 9...----_____________---------_-_--_-.___ 214 32. Pile of larger crystals from the Dierks No. 4 mine (Blocker lead), western Arkansas, _____________________________ 215 33. A, Quartz and adularia vein intergrowth developed in sandy shale on Miller Mountain. B, Quartz vein containing brecciated fragments of shaly wall rocks rimmed with adularia. _____________-..____"________________ 228 34. Quartz veins in the Crystal Mountain sandstone (quartzite) exposed on Arkansas Highway 6____-----______________ 229 35. Geologic map and sections of the West Chance quartz crystal area, Garland County, Ark_______________________ In pocket 36. Detailed geologic map and sections of part of Miller Moun tain, Garland County, Ark________-_--_____________ In pocket 37. Map and sections showing workings of the Metals Reserve Company on the north slope of Miller Mountain._____ In pocket 38. Geologic map and section of the Hamilton Hill quartz crystal area, Garland County, Ark_ _________-__.__._._..._ In pocket 39. Geologic map and sections of Fisher Mountain and Fisher Spur, Montgomery County, Ark_________________________ In pocket 40. Parts of mine workings at Fisher Mountain showing the char acter of the exposed quartz veins ________________ In pocket 41. Geologic map and section of the Willis quartz crystal mine, Saline County, Ark___--_________________._..___._. In pocket 42. Geologic map and Section of the Marler mine and nearby quartz crystal deposits, Saline County, Ark._ _......._ in pocket 43. Geologic map and section of the ElHson-Dierks QUartZ Crystal area, Garland COUnty, Ark.------------------------ In pocket 44. Geologic map and section of the W. T. Beard QUartZ CFyStal area, Garland County, Ark_._._____---_-___________ in pocket 45. Geologic map and section of the Monroe-Robbins quartz crystal area, Montgomery County, Ark____________________ in pocket FIGURE 20. Diagrammatic block sketch showing a deformed vein localized along a thrust fault near Angling Pinnacle, Afk_ __.-.---- 197 21. Plan and sections Of the quartz crystal-bearing vein zone at the DierlfS JVO. 4 ffiilie (Blocker lead), western Arkansas ______ 202 22. Plan and section of quartz veins at the DiafflOIld D-111 Carbon Co. No. 5 mine, western Arkansas._____________________ 203 23. Faces (forms) present on simple crystals in the Arkansas dis- _--__------_-------------------------------:_- 206 CONTENTS Page FIGURE 24. Block diagram of a comb crystal pocket in a quartz vein at the John Brown prospect, western Arkansas, and sections of three smoky quartz crystals___________________________ 222 25. Minerals and their approximate paragenesis in the Arkansas quartz crystal district.________________________________ 228 26. Block diagram showing examples of vein constituents, charac teristic of particular wall rocks, which are "carried over" into the vein in an adjacent alien wall rock._______-_-_-_ 234 27. Slightly deformed quartz crystal pocket at the Diamond Drill Carbon Co. No. 5 cut, western Arkansas________________ 236 28. Sketch of a deformed and partly dispersed comb crystal pocket in a quartz vein on the north slope of Miller Moun tain, Garland County, Ark.______._.____.._..._._.___ 250 29. Geologic map and section of the Howard-Sheffield quartz crystal mine, Montgomery County, Ark_.___-______--___ 256 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Oscillator quartz crystals purchased by the Metals Reserve Company in the Arkansas district between February 1 and December 15, 1943_..._..__._____......_.._....._...__. 179 2. Value and amount of oscillator quartz produced in 1943 from. six of the larger deposits in Arkansas _______._._______^_._ 180 3. Oscillator quartz mined at Miller Mountain,. Ark., in 1943 and purchased by the Metals Reserve Company.-_-_-____--___ 181 4. Oscillator quartz mined at Fisher Mountain, Ark., in 1943 and purchased by the Metals Reserve Company _______________ . 182 5. Oscillator quartz mined at the Dierks No. 4 mine (Blocker lead) in 1943 and purchased by the Metals Reserve Company. ... 183 6. Oscillator quartz mined on the Shaw tract, western Arkansas, in 1943 and purchased by the Metals Reserve Company....... 184 7. Oscillator quartz purchased by the Metals Reserve Company in 1943 from deposits in the Womble and Stanley shales in the Jessieville-Beaudry area, Ark.___._____._____._____ ______ 1&5 8. Comparison of eye-clear Arkansas quartz 60-percent optically twinned with that less than 60-percent optically twinned... __ 211 9. Results of independent heating of six cavities in three Arkansas quartz crystals.._-___-___-__-____-______---__--__---_-_ 216 10. Quartz crystal mines and prospects in western Arkansas. __ In pocket QUARTZ CRYSTAL DEPOSITS OF WESTERN ARKANSAS By A. E. J. ENGEL ABSTRACT The quartz crystal deposits of western Arkansas constitute one of the few important domestic sources of quartz of grades satisfactory for optical and os cillator use. Bye-clear crystals have been mined at numerous localities in the district for many years, principally for jewelry and for mineral displays. In 1943 a total of 212,620 pounds of salable crystals, worth approximately $35,000, was "mined. Of this, some 6,000 pounds, graded for optical and oscillator use and taken mainly from the Jessieville area, was sold for $20,000. Most of the high-grade quartz has been obtained from deposits in the Blakely (Ordovician) and Crystal Mountain (Ordovician?) sandstones,