American Mineralogist

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Volume 11, pages 334-340, 1926

NOTES ON THE MINERAL LOCALITIES OF RHODE ISLAND. I. PROVIDENCE COUNTY

LLOYD W. FISHER AND EDWIN K. GEDNEY, Brown University

A recent survey of the minerals of the state of Rhode Island which are included in the museum collections of the Department of Geology of Brown University and of Roger Williams Park of Providence, together with a careful study in the field by the authors and others have revealed the presence of at least sixty species of minerals from forty-five localities. A brief discussion of the chief mineral localities and occurrences in Providence County¹ is here recorded.

MINERALS FOUND

Actinolite	Fluorite	Octahedrite
Albite	Galena	Opal
Allanite	Garnet	Orthoclase
Ankerite	Glaucophane	Ottrelite
Anthophyllite	Gold²	Phlogopite
Apatite	Goethite	Pyrite
Aragonite	Graphite	Pyrolusite
Arfvedsonite	Hematite	Pyrrhotite
Augite	Hornblende	Quartz
Azurite	Hortonolite	Rhodochrosite
Barite	Ilmenite	Rhodonite
Beryl	Ilvaite	Riebeckite
Biotite	Jamesonite	Rutile
Boltonite	Knebelite	Scapolite
Bowenite	Limonite	Scolecite
Calcite	Magnetite	Serpentine
Chalcopyrite	Malachite	Siderite
Crocidolite	Melanterite	Sphalerite
Cryolite	Microcline	Talc
Cyanite	Muscovite	Titanite
Dolomite	Molybdenite	Tourmaline
Enstatite		Tremolite
Epidote		Zoisite

LOCALITIES

CRANSTON

Fenner's Ledge on Cranston street has been worked in the past for graphite and graphitic anthracite and shows quite a number of the minerals listed from Violet Hill, Manton Avenue. Large veins of fibrous quartz replacing actinolite traverse the exposure.

LOCALITY	MINERALS FOUND	REMARKS
Fenner's Ledge	Actinolite	With graphite.
	Graphite	Foliated, veined and bedded in shale.
	Hematite	Bright red in shale.
	Limonite	Yellow and iridescent.
	Melanterite³	Yellow and white, incrusting.
	Ottrelite⁴	Small lustrous plates in schist.
	Pyrite	In shale.
	Quartz	Massive, crystalline. Pseudomorphous after actinolite.
	Talc

CUMBERLAND

Fully one-half of the minerals of Providence county are found within the limits of this township. Quartz, epidote and hematite are common while fluorite and galena are more or less abundant.

LOCALITY	MINERALS FOUND	REMARKS
Beacon Pole Hill	Arsenopyrite	Rare.
	Crocidolite	Blue, fibrous, with smoky quartz.
	Quartz	Smoky.
Copper Mine Hill	Actinolite
	Azurite	Rare. Coatings on chalcopyrite.
	Chalcopyrite	Massive, with magnetite.
	Epidote	Veined.
	Hornblende
	Magnetite	Massive, with cumberlandite.
	Malachite	Botryoidal, with chalcopyrite.
Cumberland Hill	Beryl	Green crystals, sparingly, with quartz.
Village -in quartz veins	Biotite	Small plates.
	Calcite	In glacial boulders with sphalerite, siderite and cryolite.
	Chalcopyrite	With galena and sphalerite.
	Chlorite	Altering to magnetite and ilmenite.
	Cryolite	Same as calcite.
	Cumberlandite	Massive.
	Epidote	Massive. Some large crystals.
	Fluorite	Octahedrons. Purple chlorophane.
	Galena	Cubes, octahedrons, some coated with pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and fluorite.
	Hematite	Fine crystals in veins in chlorite.
	Hornblende	Elongated crystals on quartz.
	Ilmenite	Lustrous plates in chlorite schist.
	Limonite	Coatings on quartz.
	Magnetite	Small octahedrons.
	Malachite	Botryoidal. Rare. On chalcopyrite.
	Molybdenite	In boulders with magnetite.
	Phlogopite	Crystals near contact with schist.
	Pyrite	Crystalline. Not common.
	Pyroxene	Augite crystals in quartz.
	Quartz	Rock crystal; Smoky; Milky; Massive; Ferruginous; Sagenitic, with hornblende and tourmaline; Prase.
	Siderite	In glacial boulders with calcite, etc.
	Sphalerite	"Black jack," crystalline, with chalcopyrite, fluorite and galena.
	Tourmaline⁵	Schorl in unterminated crystals, and dichroite, rare.
Diamond Hill	Barite	Rare.
	Hematite
	Hornblende
	Limonite	Coating quartz.
	Quartz	Var. Agate; Amethyst; Chalcedony; Chrysoprase; Heliotrope; Jasper; Milky; Onyx; Rock crystal; Sardonyx; Smoky.
	Zoisite	Dark crystalline with quartz.
Iron Mine Hill	Actinolite
	Epidote
	Hornblende
	Hortonolite	Dark crystals.
	Ilvaite	In veins.
	Magnetite	Massive in cumberlandite boulders.
	Molybdenite	With magnetite.
	Pyrolusite	With iron ore and in gneiss.
	Serpentine	Greenish with iron ore.
	Talc	White and green foliated with iron ore.

LINCOLN

The Harris limestone quarries in this township are rather important because of the abundance of minerals found and these include the beautiful specimens of flattened, yellowish-tinged quartz.

LOCALITY	MINERALS FOUND	REMARKS
Harris Quarry	Calcite	Milky crystals, modified scalenohedrons and rhombohedrons; white calcite rhombs; Iceland spar. Limestone with graphite. Graphitic marble.
	Limonite	Black and brown.
	Opal	Blue coatings on weathered quartz.
	Quartz	Flat, tabular crystals, tinged with yellow in veins with calcite.
	Rutile	Minute brownish crystals in quartz.
	Scolecite	Minute crystals with calcite.
	Serpentine	Var. bowenite in limestone.
	Talc	White, pale green, foliated.
Trolley cuts⁶	Actinolite	In schist.
	Bowenite	With calcite.
	Calcite	Milky, good rhombs, in schist.
	Chalcopyrite	Massive in granite pegmatite.
	Goethite	From pyrite.
	Malachite	Botryoidal on chalcopyrite.
	Molybdenite	Rare. In granite.
	Muscovite	Rather large plates in granite.
	Octahedrite	White and pale pink crystals accompanying titanite.
	Orthoclase	Bright red, pink and rarely white in granite porphyry.
	Pyrite	In cubes in granite and schist.
	Quartz	Crystalline in veins; blue in contact.
	Rhodonite	Massive and crystalline in schist.
	Serpentine	With calcite in schist.
	Titanite	Black curved prisms in schist and granite.
	Tremolite

JOHNSTON

LOCALITY	MINERALS FOUND	REMARKS
Centredale Mineral Spring Ave.	Calcite	Rhombs, in green schist with epidote and quartz.
	Chalcopyrite	With epidote and quartz.
	Tremolite	White, fibrous.
Smith street - in green schist	Actinolite
	Calcite	Rhombs, cream color.
	Chalcopyrite	Auriferous.
	Epidote	Massive and granular.
	Magnetite	Small octahedrons.
	Orthoclase
	Pyrite	Massive.
	Quartz	Crystalline
One mile north	Jamesonite	Found in small amount in milky quartz dike in granite.

OCHEE SPRINGS

This is probably one of the best localities in the State to study the effects of contact mineralization and the gradation of iron-magnesium minerals to the more calcic varieties along the contact of the green schist and limestone. Huge masses of steatite are present and in this locality there are numerous pits and cavities in the masses from which the Indians fashioned pots and bowls.

MINERALS FOUND	REMARKS
Actinolite	Green, bladed in schist-limestone contact.
Ankerite	Brownish and black crystals in dolomite and limestone.
Anthophyllite	In clove brown crystals near contact.
Calcite	Small white crystals in the limestone.
Chlorite	In green schist.
Dolomite	Brownish with ankerite and siderite.
Hematite	Sparingly in black crystals.
Hornblende	Crystals in green schist.
Limonite	Pseudomorphs after pyrite.
Magnetite	With siderite.
Pyrite	Cubes, octahedrons, and pyritohedrons in steatite.
Siderite	In veins and pale brown crystals in dolomite.
Steatite	Gray massive.
Talc	Foliated, white and green in steatite.
Tremolite	White, bladed, in limestone-schist contact.

PROVIDENCE

LOCALITY	MINERALS FOUND	REMARKS
Violet Hill Manton Avenue	Actinolite	Green, radiating.
	Ankerite	Rhombs in steatite.
	Apatite	Yellowish crystals in chlorite schist.
	Asbestus	White, in seams in schist.
	Boltonite	Sparingly in yellow crystals with talc.
	Calcite	Small crystals with talc and quartz.
	Chalcopyrite	Massive in limestone with malachite.
	Chlorite	In schist.
	Clinochlore	Small plates.
	Dolomite	Small transparent, colorless crystals in limestone.
	Enstatite
	Epidote	Yellowish, elongated crystals with calcite in schist.
	Hematite	Black, lamellar, in limestone with chalcopyrite and malachite.
	Hornblende	Small black crystals.
	Limonite	Pseudomorphs after pyrite.
	Magnetite	Small octahedrons in amphibolite.
	Malachite	Botryoidal on chalcopyrite.
	Orthoclase	Pink with epidote.
	Pyrite	In cubes in limestone and schist.
	Pyroxene	Small crystals.
	Pyrrhotite	In small crystals in schist and steatite.
	Quartz	Chiefly as vein material.
	Rhodochrosite	Same as rhodonite.
	Rhodonite	Pink, with epidote and calcite.
	Serpentine	Light and dark yellowish green with slickensided surfaces.
	Steatite	Light gray.
	Talc	White and pale green foliated with calcite.
	Tremolite	White and fibrous.

NOTES

1 A paper is being prepared by the authors on the remaining localities.

2 In chalcopyrite. With quartz in schist.

3 Occurring with the melanterite but not directly in contact with it are two different iron sulphates, one almost pure white and the other of a cream color. Both show considerable amounts of ferric iron and magnesium is noted in the pure white one.

4 A study of ottrelite, its crystallography, chemistry and origin is being made by the authors with Prof. C. W. Brown and will be presented in a later paper.

5 Schorl in quartz at contact with gneiss, dichroite at contact with green schist.

6 These cuts are located along the right of way of the Providence to Woonsocket Electric Railway chiefly between Miner's Crossing and Lime Rock Station (Wilbur Road).