What is Cumberlandite made of?
The designated state rock of Rhode Island. Black, medium-grained, porphyritic melatroctolite (phenocrysts of plagioclase), composed of magnetite, ilmenite, olivine, plagioclase, and accessory hercynite spinel; secondary chlorite and saussurite.
What type of rock is Cumberlandite?
mafic igneous rock
The rock is an uncommon mafic igneous rock known as a troctolite. It is black with phenocrysts of plagioclase in a medium grained matrix of magnetite, ilmenite, olivine and hercynite spinel.
Where can I get Cumberlandite?
Only Place on Earth to find Cumberlandite Cumberlandite is only found at this one four-acre site on the entire planet. It is Rhode Island’s state rock. Cannons were made from it during the Revolutionary War. It is magnetic, high in iron and titanium, and frequently mistaken for a meteorite when found off this location.
What is Rhode Island’s state mineral?
The state mineral, Bowenite, is a close relative of jade and can be considered a semi-precious gem stone. It is found in northern Rhode Island and was first discovered in the early 1800’s by geologist George Bowen.
What is Cumberlandite and why is it important?
Two pieces of Cumberlandite. The rocks were discovered by settlers hundreds of years ago, and were initially deemed valuable for the manufacture of cannon and farm tools in the 18th and 19th centuries. The rock also contains a relatively high level of titanium, also valuable for the manufacture of tools.
Where can I find Cumberlandite rock?
Cumberlandite is the U.S. state of Rhode Island’s state rock. It is only found in large concentrations on a four-acre lot* in Blackstone Valley, Cumberland, and in traces scattered throughout the Narragansett Bay watershed.
What does Cumberlandite look like?
Cumberlandite weathers to a brownish black with white crystals. This is strikingly different from the weathered look of other rocks in Rhode Island’s glacial deposits. It is also much denser than the granites and metamorphic rocks that are common in these deposits.