Arkansas Symbols, Mineral: Quartz Crystal

Adopted in 1967.

The quartz crystal was adopted as the Arkansas State Mineral by the General Assembly of 1967. Quartz crystals are mined in the Ouachita Mountains and are used in computers and sold to visitors to our state. Sometimes called "Arkansas diamonds," quartz crystals are not true diamonds.

Arkansas is the number one producer of quartz crystals in the United States and probably the world. They occur in abundance in the Hot Springs area. Quartz or silica is a hard, usually colorless or white, insoluble mineral. Quartz crystals and veins are a common feature of the Ouachita Mountains region of Arkansas. Arkansas quartz crystals are widely known for their clarity and for their habit of occurring in attractive clusters. Quartz crystals are important in the construction of radio equipment, range finders, direction-finding apparatuses, periscopes, gun sights, polariscopes, and other precision equipment. During World War II Arkansas quartz crystals were used particularly in radio equipment. A large chunk of crystals from Mount Ida in Montgomery County occupies a prominent position at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.