3M Quarry (Gibraltar Rock of Belle Mead), Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| 3M Quarry (Gibraltar Rock of Belle Mead) | Quarry |
| Hillsborough Township | Township |
| Somerset County | County |
| New Jersey | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
40° 27' 27'' North , 74° 42' 56'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Skillman | 242 (2017) | 4.2km |
| Harlingen | 297 (2017) | 4.7km |
| Belle Mead | 216 (2017) | 4.8km |
| Blawenburg | 280 (2017) | 5.7km |
| Bloomingdale | 7,714 (2017) | 7.3km |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Leidy Microscopical Society | Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania | 33km |
| New Jersey Mineralogical Society, Inc | Mountainside, New Jersey | 39km |
| Morris Museum Mineralogical Society | Morristown, New Jersey | 43km |
| Friends of Mineralogy - Pennsylvania Chapter | St. Peters, Pennsylvania | 48km |
This quarry is located approximately 15,000 feet WSW of Belle Mead, NJ. The quarry was begun and was long operated by the 3M Corporation for the production of roofing granules. Since roofing granule production is not a high tonnage use the size of the pit, even after many years of operation, is modest. Recently, the quarry was sold to the Silvi Group who, trading as Gibraltar Rock of Belle Mead, converted the operation to aggregate production.
The 3M quarry is excavated in the lower part of a thick diabase intrusion known as the Lambertville sill. This sill is an segment of the western extension of the Palisades intrusion. The petrology, geochemistry and structure have been described by Laney and Husch (1998).
The specifications for roofing granule feed stock permit very little alteration of the rock. Consequently the diabase in this exposure has been subjected to only very limited hydrothermal activity. This is not unexpected since approximately 95% of the heat from a cooling, low dip angle intrusive sheet is dissipated through the top. Therefore, its the upper part of such a sheet that experiences a large disproportionate share of hydrothermal circulation. It is interesting to note that in "THE MINERALS OF THE BERGEN ARCHWAYS", Manchester (1919) noted that only the western most portion of the cut, Section 4, which exposed the upper part of the Palisades sill, was mineralized.
**NOTE** The Quarry as of 9/2011 is now open space, the land sold to the County of Somerset.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
5 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Actinolite Formula: ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 References: |
| ⓘ Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 References: |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' References: |
| ⓘ 'Clay minerals' References: |
| ⓘ Datolite Formula: CaB(SiO4)(OH) References: |
| ⓘ Epidote Formula: (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) References: |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Datolite | 9.AJ.20 | CaB(SiO4)(OH) |
| ⓘ | Epidote | 9.BG.05a | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| ⓘ | Actinolite | 9.DE.10 | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Clay minerals' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| H | ⓘ Datolite | CaB(SiO4)(OH) |
| H | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| B | Boron | |
| B | ⓘ Datolite | CaB(SiO4)(OH) |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| O | ⓘ Datolite | CaB(SiO4)(OH) |
| O | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Si | ⓘ Datolite | CaB(SiO4)(OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Ca | ⓘ Datolite | CaB(SiO4)(OH) |
| Ca | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Actinolite | ◻Ca2(Mg4.5-2.5Fe0.5-2.5)Si8O22(OH)2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
| Fe | ⓘ Epidote | (CaCa)(AlAlFe3+)O[Si2O7][SiO4](OH) |
| Cu | Copper | |
| Cu | ⓘ Chalcopyrite | CuFeS2 |
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3M Quarry, Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA