Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Cuprite vs. Orpiment
It's a fiery match of vibrant red Cuprite and just as saturated orange Orpiment battle for your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Cave-in-Rock, Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-District, Hardin County, Illinois, USAi
Regional Level Types
Cave-in-RockVillage
Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-DistrictMining Sub-district
Hardin CountyCounty
IllinoisState
USACountry
Cave-in-Rock, Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-District, Cave-in-Rock Mining Sub-District, Hardin County, Illinois, USA
Cave-in-Rock, Cave-In-Rock Mining Sub-District, Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, USA

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 28' 8'' North , 88° 9' 59'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Cave-in-Rock318 (2011)0.1km
Elizabethtown287 (2017)12.5km
Rosiclare1,082 (2017)16.6km
Marion2,986 (2017)16.9km
Sturgis1,912 (2017)18.3km
Mindat Locality ID:
3753
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:3753:5
GUID (UUID V4):
0


The town of Cave-in-Rock is named after a natural cave bordering the Ohio River in the southeastern portion of Illinois. The cave was noted by French explorers in 1744, who called it the “Caverne dans le Roc” (Cave in the Rock). During the early 1800s to about 1834, the cave was used by outlaws that preyed upon travelers on the Ohio River (though the stories are exaggerated). The cave today is now part of the Illinois State Park System.

The cave is formed from the middle Mississippian St. Louis Limestone Formation and only extends about 55 feet from the mouth. Reinertsen (1992, p. 16-17) postulated that the present cave formed about 2-10 million years ago by groundwater that moved slowly through bedrock under hydrostatic pressure. The groundwater slowly dissolved the limestone and the calcium carbonate from the stone was carried away as a solution to be deposited elsewhere. He also stated that the cave may actually be larger than it currently is, but debris has filled in to its back wall. At one point it also extended further to the south, but the modern Ohio River has eroded a significant portion of it. Finally, Reinertsen, also suggested that Cave-in-Rock is not connected with the “Big Sink”, Illinois’s largest sinkhole, as that feature formed much earlier than the cave and no evidence has been presented that groundwater from the “Big Sink” could be discharged to Cave-in-Rock and then into the river.

Cave-in-Rock (the town), along with the towns of Elizabethtown and Rosiclare southwest of Cave-in-Rock, were focal trade points of the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, which had small and large mines operating from the 1840s to 1995, when the last mine, the Annabel Lee Mine, shutdown.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


33 valid minerals.

Paragenesis


Pargenetic Sequence [MinRec 28:23]
Bitumen
Rhombohedral Calcite
Yellow Fluorite
White Fluorite
Chalcopyrite
Blue Fluorite
Early Purple Fluorite
Quartz
Sphalerite
Galena
Late Purple Fluorite
Scalenohedral Calcite
Baryte
Witherite

Detailed Mineral List:

Anglesite
Formula: PbSO4
Ankerite
Formula: Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Aragonite
Formula: CaCO3
Azurite
Formula: Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Baryte
Formula: BaSO4
Benstonite
Formula: Ba6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Celestine
Formula: SrSO4
Cerussite
Formula: PbCO3
Chalcopyrite
Formula: CuFeS2
Cuprite
Formula: Cu2O
Dolomite
Formula: CaMg(CO3)2
Epsomite
Formula: MgSO4 · 7H2O
Fluorite
Formula: CaF2
Galena
Formula: PbS
Goethite
Formula: Fe3+O(OH)
Greenockite
Formula: CdS
Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O
Hemimorphite
Formula: Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Hydrozincite
Formula: Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6
Kaolinite
Formula: Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
'Limonite'
Malachite
Formula: Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Marcasite
Formula: FeS2
Native Sulphur
Formula: S8
Paralstonite
Formula: BaCa(CO3)2
'Petroleum'
'Petroleum var. Bitumen'
Pyrite
Formula: FeS2
Pyromorphite
Formula: Pb5(PO4)3Cl
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Smithsonite
Formula: ZnCO3
Sphalerite
Formula: ZnS
Strontianite
Formula: SrCO3
Vaesite
Formula: NiS2
'Wad'
Witherite
Formula: BaCO3

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
Native Sulphur1.CC.05S8
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
Sphalerite2.CB.05aZnS
Chalcopyrite2.CB.10aCuFeS2
Greenockite2.CB.45CdS
Galena2.CD.10PbS
Pyrite2.EB.05aFeS2
Vaesite2.EB.05aNiS2
Marcasite2.EB.10aFeS2
Group 3 - Halides
Fluorite3.AB.25CaF2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Goethite4.00.Fe3+O(OH)
Cuprite4.AA.10Cu2O
Quartz4.DA.05SiO2
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Smithsonite5.AB.05ZnCO3
Ankerite5.AB.10Ca(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Dolomite5.AB.10CaMg(CO3)2
Aragonite5.AB.15CaCO3
Cerussite5.AB.15PbCO3
Strontianite5.AB.15SrCO3
Witherite5.AB.15BaCO3
Paralstonite5.AB.40BaCa(CO3)2
Benstonite5.AB.55Ba6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
Azurite5.BA.05Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Malachite5.BA.10Cu2(CO3)(OH)2
Hydrozincite5.BA.15Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
Anglesite7.AD.35PbSO4
Baryte7.AD.35BaSO4
Celestine7.AD.35SrSO4
Epsomite7.CB.40MgSO4 · 7H2O
Gypsum7.CD.40CaSO4 · 2H2O
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
Pyromorphite8.BN.05Pb5(PO4)3Cl
Group 9 - Silicates
Hemimorphite9.BD.10Zn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Kaolinite9.ED.05Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Unclassified
'Limonite'-
'Wad'-
'Petroleum
var. Bitumen'
-
''-

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
H EpsomiteMgSO4 · 7H2O
H GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
H GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
H HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
H HydrozinciteZn5(CO3)2(OH)6
H KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
H MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
CCarbon
C AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
C AragoniteCaCO3
C AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
C BenstoniteBa6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
C CalciteCaCO3
C CerussitePbCO3
C DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
C HydrozinciteZn5(CO3)2(OH)6
C MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
C ParalstoniteBaCa(CO3)2
C SmithsoniteZnCO3
C StrontianiteSrCO3
C WitheriteBaCO3
OOxygen
O AnglesitePbSO4
O AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
O AragoniteCaCO3
O AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
O BaryteBaSO4
O BenstoniteBa6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
O CalciteCaCO3
O CelestineSrSO4
O CerussitePbCO3
O CupriteCu2O
O DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
O EpsomiteMgSO4 · 7H2O
O GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
O GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
O HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
O HydrozinciteZn5(CO3)2(OH)6
O KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
O MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
O ParalstoniteBaCa(CO3)2
O PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
O QuartzSiO2
O SmithsoniteZnCO3
O StrontianiteSrCO3
O WitheriteBaCO3
FFluorine
F FluoriteCaF2
MgMagnesium
Mg AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Mg BenstoniteBa6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
Mg DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
Mg EpsomiteMgSO4 · 7H2O
AlAluminium
Al KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
SiSilicon
Si HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Si KaoliniteAl2(Si2O5)(OH)4
Si QuartzSiO2
PPhosphorus
P PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
SSulfur
S AnglesitePbSO4
S BaryteBaSO4
S CelestineSrSO4
S ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
S EpsomiteMgSO4 · 7H2O
S GalenaPbS
S GreenockiteCdS
S GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
S MarcasiteFeS2
S PyriteFeS2
S SphaleriteZnS
S Native SulphurS8
S VaesiteNiS2
ClChlorine
Cl PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl
CaCalcium
Ca AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Ca AragoniteCaCO3
Ca BenstoniteBa6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
Ca FluoriteCaF2
Ca GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Ca ParalstoniteBaCa(CO3)2
FeIron
Fe AnkeriteCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)2
Fe ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Fe GoethiteFe3+O(OH)
Fe MarcasiteFeS2
Fe PyriteFeS2
NiNickel
Ni VaesiteNiS2
CuCopper
Cu AzuriteCu3(CO3)2(OH)2
Cu ChalcopyriteCuFeS2
Cu CupriteCu2O
Cu MalachiteCu2(CO3)(OH)2
ZnZinc
Zn HemimorphiteZn4Si2O7(OH)2 · H2O
Zn HydrozinciteZn5(CO3)2(OH)6
Zn SmithsoniteZnCO3
Zn SphaleriteZnS
SrStrontium
Sr CelestineSrSO4
Sr StrontianiteSrCO3
CdCadmium
Cd GreenockiteCdS
BaBarium
Ba BaryteBaSO4
Ba BenstoniteBa6Ca6Mg(CO3)13
Ba ParalstoniteBaCa(CO3)2
Ba WitheriteBaCO3
PbLead
Pb AnglesitePbSO4
Pb CerussitePbCO3
Pb GalenaPbS
Pb PyromorphitePb5(PO4)3Cl

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

North AmericaContinent
North America PlateTectonic Plate
USA

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.

References

 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 5, 2026 04:41:03 Page updated: December 21, 2025 23:50:22
Go to top of page