Rose Rock

Rose rocks are aggregates of barite (barium sulfate) crystals and sand whose iron content gives them a reddish hue. The barite crystals form a circular array of flat plates, giving the rock a shape similar to a rose blossom. Rose rocks appear either as a single rose-like bloom or as clusters of blooms, with sizes ranging from pea sized to four inches (20 cm) in diameter. The rose rock was selected as the official state rock of Oklahoma in 1968.cite web |url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/R/RO030.html |title=ROSE ROCK |publisher=Oklahoma Historical Society]

Location

Rose rocks are most common in and near central Oklahoma, and can be found in mineral deposits in the Wichita Mountains and Ouachita Mountains. Rose rocks are most common in the Noble area of Cleveland County. Barite rose rocks have also been found in California and Egypt.

Formation

Oklahoma rose stone was formed during the Permian era, 250 million years ago, when western and central Oklahoma was covered by a shallow sea. As the sea retreated, barite precipitated out of the water and crystallized around grains of quartz sand. This left behind large formation of reddish sandstone, locally called Garber sandstone, containing deposits of rose rock.

References

ee also

* List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones
* Selenite, a mineral which also forms rose-shaped stones, called the "desert rose".

External links

* [http://www.roserockmuseum.com/ Timberlake Rose Rock Museum] in Noble, Oklahoma