Celestine

specimen number:
2063479

location:
Chittenango Falls, Fenner, Madison Co., New York, USA

description:
Pale blue prismatic translucent crystal of Celestine measuring 1.7 x 1.0 x 1.0 cm in size mostly standing free from matrix. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located in Madison County, New York, Chittenango Falls features a dramatic 167-foot waterfall where Chittenango Creek Cascades over stepped ledges of Devonian and Silurian limestone and dolostone strata. Sedimentary processes formed these carbonate layers, creating natural voids, fractures, and solution cavities within the bedrock. Hydrothermal fluid activity and groundwater percolation through these openings deposited secondary minerals, most notably celestine, a strontium sulfate mineral that forms delicate, pale blue to clear tabular or prismatic crystals. Mineral collectors throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries prized the site for producing high-quality celestine specimens from the exposed limestone outcrops along the gorge. Today, the area is preserved within Chittenango Falls State Park, where geological conservation guidelines restrict formal mining and specimen collecting.

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