Route 11 road cuts, Salem, New London County, Connecticut, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Route 11 road cuts | Group of Road Cuttings (Abandoned) |
| Salem | Town |
| New London County | County |
| Connecticut | State |
| USA | Country |
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 27' 43'' North , 72° 16' 18'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Road Cuttings (Abandoned) - last checked 2018
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Salem | 4,183 (2017) | 3.1km |
| Montville Center | 20,180 (2017) | 10.2km |
| Oxoboxo River | 3,165 (2017) | 12.4km |
| Colchester | 4,781 (2017) | 13.6km |
| Uncasville | 1,500 (2017) | 13.8km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lapidary and Mineral Society of Central Connecticut | Meriden, Connecticut | 45km |
Construction began on state Route 11 (originally state Route 85 expressway) in 1966 but was halted due to lack of funding. The finished section north of state Route 82 opened in 1972, the unfinished section south of Route 82 is currently abandoned state property and as of 2016 the state has no plans or funds to develop it.
Extensive road cuts there expose the Hope Valley Alaskite Gneiss with numerous fractures and faults that host typically small, parallel growth quartz crystals, with some corn-cob and quartzoid habit crystals. Small pieces can typically be found in the rubble weathering out of the exposed, steeply dipping fault zones. Amethyst is rare but formed mostly as scepters to 9 cm. Quartz crystallization probably occurred during the early Mesozoic during faulting associated with continental rifting.
Henderson and Haritos (1989) describe their discovery:
NOTE: This area is CT Department of Transportation property and is inside Nehantic State Forest. It is off limits to the public and collecting is strictly forbidden (2023).
Extensive road cuts there expose the Hope Valley Alaskite Gneiss with numerous fractures and faults that host typically small, parallel growth quartz crystals, with some corn-cob and quartzoid habit crystals. Small pieces can typically be found in the rubble weathering out of the exposed, steeply dipping fault zones. Amethyst is rare but formed mostly as scepters to 9 cm. Quartz crystallization probably occurred during the early Mesozoic during faulting associated with continental rifting.
Henderson and Haritos (1989) describe their discovery:
The major quartz pocket, source of the finest amethyst specimens and several hundred colorless quartz crystals, was located 7 meters below the top of the island at the intersection of the dominant joint set and a minor fault. The pocket was 0.5 meters wide, 0.7 meters high and about 1.5 meters deep. The rock near the quartz stringers and pockets was kaolinized. The only other minerals observed were occasional crystals of plagioclase plus fine-grained chlorite and microcrystals of pale purple fluorite.
NOTE: This area is CT Department of Transportation property and is inside Nehantic State Forest. It is off limits to the public and collecting is strictly forbidden (2023).
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Albite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' Description: fine-grained pocket filling |
| ⓘ Fluorite Formula: CaF2 Colour: pale purple Description: micro crystals |
| ⓘ Microcline Formula: K(AlSi3O8) Habit: anhedral Colour: reddish orange Fluorescence: magenta under SW UV References: |
| ⓘ Molybdenite Formula: MoS2 Habit: anhedral Colour: metallic Description: Small flakes with pyrite in vein in gneiss. References: |
| ⓘ Pyrite Formula: FeS2 Habit: grains Description: With molybdenite in vein in gneiss. References: |
| ✪ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Habit: elongated prismatic with rhombohedral terminations, quartzoid, scepter overgrowths Colour: colorless to white, smoky, purple Description: Typically parallel growth crystals 1-2 cm long, quartzoids to 1.5 cm, scepter overgrowths to 9 cm. |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Agate Formula: SiO2 Habit: bortyoidal Colour: orange Description: A thin layer formed between two generations of quartz crystal growth on some specimens. References: |
| ✪ Quartz var. Amethyst Formula: SiO2 Habit: scepters Colour: purple Description: hoppered, complex scepters on milky quartz to 9 cm |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony Formula: SiO2 Habit: bortyoidal Colour: orange Description: A thin layer formed between two generations of quartz crystal growth on some specimens. References: |
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Molybdenite | 2.EA.30 | MoS2 |
| ⓘ | Pyrite | 2.EB.05a | FeS2 |
| Group 3 - Halides | |||
| ⓘ | Fluorite | 3.AB.25 | CaF2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz var. Agate | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Amethyst | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | var. Chalcedony | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Microcline | 9.FA.30 | K(AlSi3O8) |
| ⓘ | Albite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| O | Oxygen | |
|---|---|---|
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Agate | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Amethyst | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Al | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Agate | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Amethyst | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Molybdenite | MoS2 |
| S | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| K | Potassium | |
| K | ⓘ Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Fluorite | CaF2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Pyrite | FeS2 |
| Mo | Molybdenum | |
| Mo | ⓘ Molybdenite | MoS2 |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Avalonia TerraneVolcanic Arc
- Carolinia DomainDomain
This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
Route 11 road cuts, Salem, New London County, Connecticut, USA