" Beautiful Ohio ", by Ballard MacDonald (lyrics) and Robert A. It is sold as a novelty gem at craft shows, gift and tourist shops. Ohio State running back Trey Sermon has gone on a remarkable late-season tear with 636 yards rushing in his last three games. Modern Ohio residents often associate their state song with the instrumental brass version of "Beautiful Ohio" that is frequently played at major sporting events. Folklore about stones has been revered and honored for The Mound Builders, and in particular the Hopewell Culture, used the resources from Flint Ridge for not only making their own spear, arrowhead and knife blades, they also traded this valuable resource to other groups from around the country, Their use dates back some 12,000 years ago. The fact that it is brittle, meant the stone could be easily chipped exposing a razor sharp edge -- ideal for making arrowheads. The state of Ohio declared flint as the official gemstone in 1965. It also can be polished to a bountiful luster. Most people would not think of Ohio as a state that would yield a surprising variety of mineral specimens; however, there are many Ohio collectors who have assembled collections of museum-quality specimens. But there is now evidence that Flint Ridge was also a resource for even earlier inhabitants of the area. As with gold, these minerals were carried to Ohio from Canada by glaciers. Flint found in eastern and northeastern Ohio has all of the best qualities of good flint plus, it's beautiful. Flint is formed by a geologic process whereby the softer limestones and shales are replaced with a much harder silica that creates a form of quartz. In fact, flint is the most common mineral found on the Earth’s surface. Beautiful and colorful crystals of such minerals as calcite, celestite, pyrite, selenite gypsum, and sphalerite, among others, can be found along with small flakes of gold, colorful flint, and rare meteorites and diamonds. Called the Serpent Mound zinc district, it's home to some geodes containing calcite and barite. Although most flint is gray or black in color, Flint Ridge flint is characterized by its light color with hues of red, green, yellow, and other colors. Ohio City Productions, Inc. Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave catches a touchdown pass in front of Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick during the second half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game Friday, Jan. … At best a prospector in Ohio must move large amounts of overburden to find just a few flakes. Thirty-five of the 50 states have designated an official gem or gemstone. To be of value, the gemstone needs to be modified from its natural state. It is found primarily in the Devonian-age Ohio Shale. Flint is Ohio's official gemstone and Flint Ridge flint is renowned for its color and beauty. // End --> Flint is Ohio’s official gemstone. This is one of several minerals found in Ohio that are termed efflorescences. Flint Ridge a chain of narrow hills that extended from just east of Newark almost to Zanesville. It was appropriate, therefore, that in 1965 the Ohio General Assembly named flint, (SiO2,) Ohio's official gemstone. update=copyright.getFullYear(); The nut resembles a deer's eye. Pyrite – Iron sulfide. This makes the stone so it has a high content of quartz and makes the stone not only very hard, but also very brittle. Marcasite – Iron sulfide. In unusual circumstances, minerals may grow into typical crystal forms that make them desirable to collectors. Detailed information on the occurrence and collecting of minerals in Ohio is given in the book Minerals of Ohio, published by the Division of Geological Survey. Celestite – Strontium sulfate. This gray-colored heavy mineral is an ore of lead. Quartz – Silicon dioxide. copyright=new Date(); Ballard MacDonald's lyrics originally created imagery of a pair of lovers in a small boat drifting along the Ohio River, which led some Ohioans to question this choice for an official state song. I belong to the GPAA and we have some claims in the state. Over time the hard, yet brittle forms cracks. In some places the top soil covering the flint has been eroded, exposing the layer of flint. Hematite – Iron oxide. Established in 1870, this university educates more than 50,000 students a year and occupies a very large campus. © Gold-colored marcasite look similar to pyrite but has a different crystal structure. Oct 16, 2015 - Find details and a picture of the Ohio Gemstone or Gem, Ohio Flint. Today, collectors polish Ohio flint into colorful jewelry. Crystal cave on South Bass Island is a large vug filled with very large crystals of celestite. Over time the hard, yet brittle forms cracks. Gold – This native element occurs as small flakes and is found by panning gravel in the beds of modern streams. I belong to the GPAA and we have some claims in the state. Some American states have made a state mineral, rock, stone or gemstone Not every state has an official state mineral, rock, stone and/or gemstone, however. The Ohio State University is a public school located in Columbus, Ohio. Melanterite was formerly known as copperas. Pyrite occurs in brassy crystals or sometimes as nodules in Devonian and Pennsylvanian shales. King under the pen name Mary Earl (music), was adopted as the official state song in 1969. And in 1985, the large trilobite genus Isotelus, occurring in rocks exposed in southwestern Ohio, was named the State Invertebrate Fossil. Rocks of Pennsylvanian age in eastern Ohio are known for hematite nodules, petrified wood, and ironstone septarian concretions. Flint itself is not a rock, but a type of quartz, which in itself, is a mineral. Calcite is common as vein fillings in many rocks in western and central Ohio. Gemstones: there's no clear definition of what qualifies as a gemstone. Many spectacular specimens of Ohio minerals are on display at the Ohio History Connection and at other natural history museums in the state. Gems colors, properties, myths, and legends are diverse and fascinating. The most conspicuous bed of flint is associated with the Pennsylvanian-age Vanport limestone at Flint Ridge in Licking and Muskingum Counties. Large quantities of this gem exist, especially in the eastern and central parts of the state. Northwestern Ohio produces crystals of this mineral in colors ranging from white to a beautiful pale blue. Gold was transported to Ohio by glaciers of the Pleistocene Ice Age and modern streams have eroded the glacial sediments and concentrated the gold particles. Its capital is Columbus. Amorphous silica occurs in nodules or beds in Devonian limestone and particularly in Pennsylvanian limestone. His move to the outside this season has been spotty at best and indicative of Ohio State… All were small crystals. Minerals are naturally-occurring elements or compounds that are the constituents of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock. Fluorite – Calcium fluoride. That can include cutting, polishing,  and smoothing. In 1989, the Ohio Legislature gave Wilbert B. McBride permission to update the lyrics. Next to the wheat bushel stands 17 arrows, representing Ohio's place as the 17th state in the Union. Ohio--The Buckeye State - Take Quiz Now [Average score: 9 out of 15]. This mineral is also found in concretions in the Devonian-age Ohio Shale. The Ohio legislature adopted Ohio flint as the official state gem in 1965. The Findlay Arch mineral district produces interesting crystals of fluorite in brown and sometimes purple, green, and yellow, usually in association with calcite and other minerals common to the district. Oct 16, 2015 - State Gemstone and State Gem of the Fifty-States Gemstones are so fascinating! All Rights Reserved. Galena – Lead sulfide. Ohio Flint makes a wonderful gemstone! Moderately large, well-formed crystals of clear selenite gypsum are found in northeastern Ohio in silts and clays deposited in beds of former glacial lakes. Access Ohio state minerals, rocks, and stones. It is available in abundance in Ohio, especially in the central and eastern counties of the state. It has been used for thousands of years for arrowheads, pipes and other products. His move to the outside this season has been spotty at best and indicative of Ohio State’s cornerback play in general. Support your Ohio State when you shop at Joy Jewelers! Gypsum – Hydrous calcium sulfate. document.write(" " + update); Calcite – Calcium carbonate. (List by state or year) State Name Designated as Year Alabama Star Blue Quartz Official gemstone 1990 Alaska Jade Another place with geodes in Ohio is an area in the southern parts of the state in Adams and Highland counties. Official State Gemstone and Gems State Gemstone and State Gem of the Fifty-States Gemstones are so fascinating! About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Generally found as small, brown to reddish-brown crystals in Silurian dolomites in southern Ohio in the Serpent Mound zinc district. When archeologists began excavating a cave along the Ohio - Pennsylvania border, that found flint in excavated areas some 11 feet deep that dated back about 20,000 years which was before the Mound Builders arrived in the Ohio River valley. Many have a golden color. Some states like Missouri have named an official state mineral or rock, but not a gemstone. Monetary value is not considered, but desirability is, color also is a qualifier, so to is the scarcity of the mineral crystal. In pre-historic times, the flint was used by American Indians for tools including knives and spear points; today, the polished stone is valued in jewelry making. In those hands the crafts can made extremely sharp edges, as sharp or in some instances sharper than the finest surgical tools available today. In 1965 the Ohio General Assembly passed a bill that made Ohio Flint the state's official gemstone. This mineral is commonly known as “fool’s gold” because it has been mistaken so often for gold due to its gold color. Raw flint removed from Flint Ridge in eastern Ohio. They occur as small, delicate crystals on the surface of coal beds and shales such as the Ohio Shale where evaporation draws mineral-bearing waters to the surface. It became a state on March 1, 1803. Just below the surface in most places is an irregular layer of flint which can be a just a few inches thick to several feet in thickness. Ohio is one of the 50 states in the United States. Trivia question was added to the FunTrivia website on Dec 13 02. However, it is not known to be in economic quantities in this area. Interesting crystals, ranging in color from white to brown to pink, occur in northwestern Ohio in association with other minerals. Previously, in 1965, flint was named Ohio’s State Gemstone. Can you beat this? The most famous deposit of flint in Ohio is an area in eastern Licking and western Muskingum Counties known as Flint Ridge. Although flint is much harder than most other stones, the cracks can be manipulated and struck to quickly form the sharpened edges. Strontianite – Strontium carbonate. Listing of all the official state gemstones for the 50 states, in order by state. Melanterite – Hydrous iron sulfate. In the chart below the year in parentheses are the year when that mineral, rock, stone or gemstone was officially made a State symbol or emblem. Many streams in the glaciated portion of the state, or rivers draining the glaciated areas have produced small amounts of gold. Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave catches a touchdown pass in front of Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick during the Sugar Bowl on Jan. … Crystal Cave in Ohio Strontianite occurs as small white crystals or powdery masses in cavities or vugs in Silurian dolomites in the Findlay Arch mineral district. In the freshly harvested wheat field stands a wheat bushel, illustrating Ohio's important contributions to agriculture. At least six diamonds have been found in Ohio in sediments deposited by glaciers of the Pleistocene Ice Age. The unusual color variations are what make this flint a prized gemstone. He should expect to … Flint is Ohio's official gemstone and Flint Ridge flint is renowned for its color and beauty. Silurian dolomites in northwestern Ohio yield clusters of large crystals ranging from clear to dark brown. Columbus also is the largest city in Ohio. Flint is not often thought of as a gemstone, but the variety of colors and patterns in Ohio flint make it a very sought after stone for jewelry and other lapidary uses. Dolomite – Calcium magnesium carbonate. In 1965, the Ohio General Assembly adopted flint as Ohio's official gemstone. Ohio Flint: Ohio Gemstone Stone The state gemstone is flint, originally used to make spear-points and arrowheads by the Native Americans who lived in the area. The State Gemstone: Ohio Flint Adopted: 1965 In 1965, the Ohio General Assembly adopted flint as Ohio’s official gemstone. Many of these quarries are no longer open to the public for collecting. Ohio's flint has all the right ingredients to make for flint that can be quickly and accurately struck in the hands of skilled craftsmen. Gypsum occurs in massive form in northern Ohio, where it was mined until recently. Flint is a type of quartz which falls in the cryptocrystalline variety. Other minerals, including calcite and barite, occur in this district along with geodes. These nodules are comparatively heavy because of the iron content.