As national and state symbols go, minerals are far more obscure than plants and animals. But take a closer look.
Let’s take a brief tour of flowers of state. Minerals may be represented on flags and coats of arms by the color yellow or mining icons. Minerals, gems, rocks, and stones are very popular among the symbols adopted by the 50 U.S. states.
National ˆ
United States ˆ
Most states have an official mineral, gem, rock, or stone. Most states also have an official fossil. However, the lines between the two can be surprisingly confuising.
For example, coal is the fossilized remains of plants. It has been adopted by three states, two of which call it the state rock, while Kentucky calls it the state mineral. Similarly, several states have adopted limestone and marble—rocks made of the remains of marine animals—but none call them their state fossil.
The fact that coal, limestone, and marble normally can’t be traced to a particular species clinches it; I listed the in the table below, not in the State Fossils table. However, what about fossilized coral and wood, which are commonly designated official stones or gems?
I listed them in the State Fossils table. However, I also listed the ones designated state gems or stones in the table below.
Hawaii is an even more unusual case. Legislators stupidly named black coral the state gem. Reluctantly, I decided to include it in the table below, though an aqua background is a reminder that it’s not really a mineral.
Practically speaking, Hawaii is one of seven states that don’t have an authentic mineral, rock, or gem as an official symbol. The other three are Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Washington, and West Virginia. New Jersey, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania do have official fossils, while Mississippi and Washington designated a fossil its state stone and gem, respectively. Like Washington, West Virginia has two fossils among its symbols, though neither one is designated an official fossil.
Indiana is yet another state whose hard earth symbols are both fossils, though limestone (the state rock) is indeed a rock. come to think of it, fossilized wood and coral are mineralized, so maybe they qualify as minerals after all. Confused yet?
Given its volcanic origin, Hawaii could be the only state that will never have an official mineral or fossil.
In the table below, petrified wood and coal are highlighted with the color green, whilc a light blue represents limestone and marble.
List of State Minerals, Gems & Rocks | |||
---|---|---|---|
State | Species | Designation | |
Alabama | hematite (red iron ore) | 1967 | |
star blue quartz | Gemstone | 1990 | |
marble | Rock | 1969 | |
Alaska | gold | 1968 | |
jade | Gem | 1968 | |
Arizona | wulfenite | 2017 | |
turquoise | Gem | 1974 | |
copper | Metal | 2015 | |
Arkansas | quartz crystal | 1967 | |
diamond | Gemstone | 1967 | |
bauxite | Rock | 1967 | |
California | gold | Mineral & Mineralogic Emblem | 1965 |
benitoite | Gemstone | 1985 | |
serpentine | Rock & Lithologic Emblem | 1965 | |
Colorado | rhodochrosite | 2002 | |
aquamarine | Gemstone | 1971 | |
Yule marble | Rock | 2004 | |
Connecticut | almandine garnet | 1977 | |
Delaware | sillimanite | 1977 | |
District of Columbia | Potomac bluestone | Rock | 2014 |
Florida | moonstone | Gem | 1969 |
agatized coral | Stone | 1979 | |
Georgia | staurolite | 1976 | |
quartz | Gem | 1976 | |
Hawaii | black coral (Antipathidae) | Gem | 1987 |
Idaho | Idaho star garnet | Gem Stone | 1967 |
Illinois | fluorite | 1965 | |
Indiana | limestone | Stone | 1971 |
Iowa | geode | Rock | 1967 |
Kansas | galena | Mineral | 2018 |
jelinite | Gem | 2018 | |
limestone | Rock | 2018 | |
Kentucky | coal | 1998 | |
Kentucky agate | Rock | 2000 | |
Louisiana | agate | Mineral | 1976 |
Maine | tourmaline | Gemstone | 1971 |
Maryland | Patuxent River stone | Gem | 2004 |
Massachusetts | babingtonite | 1971 | |
rhodonite | Gem | 1979 | |
Roxbury puddingstone | Rock | 1983 | |
granite | State Building Rock and Monument Stone | 1983 | |
Michigan | Isle Royal greenstone (chlorastrolite) | Gem | 1973 |
Petoskey stone (fossilized coral) | Stone | 1965 | |
Minnesota | Lake Superior agate | Gemstone | 1969 |
Mississippi | petrified wood | Stone | 1976 |
Missouri | galena (lead) | 1967 | |
mozarkite | Rock | 1967 | |
Montana | sapphire | Gemstone | 1969 |
Montana agate | Gemstone | 1969 | |
Nebraska | blue chalcedony (agate) | Gemstone | 1967 |
prairie agate | Rock | 1967 | |
Nevada | sandstone | Rock | 1987 |
Virgin Valley black fire opal | Precious Gemstone | 1987 | |
turquoise | Semi-Precious Gemstone | 1987 | |
silver | Metal | 1977 | |
New Hampshire | beryl | 1985 | |
smoky quartz | Gem | 1985 | |
granite | Rock | 1985 | |
New Jersey | (none) | ||
New Mexico | turquoise | Gem | 1967 |
New York | wine-red garnet | Gem | 1969 |
North Carolina | gold | 2011 | |
granite | Rock | 1979 | |
emerald | Stone | 1973 | |
North Dakota | (none) | ||
Ohio | Ohio flint | Gemstone | 1965 |
Oklahoma | rose rock (barite rose) | Rock | 1968 |
hourglass selenite crystal | Crystal | 2005 | |
Oregon | thunderegg | Rock | 1965 |
Oregon sunstone | Gemstone | 1987 | |
Pennsylvania | (none) | ||
Rhode Island | bowenite | 1966 | |
cumberlandite | Rock | 1966 | |
South Carolina | amethyst | Gem | 1969 |
blue granite | Stone | 1969 | |
South Dakota | Black Hills gold | 1988 | |
Fairburn agate | Gemstone | 1966 | |
rose quartz | Jewelry | 1966 | |
Tennessee | limestone | Rock | 1979 |
agate | Stone | 1969 | |
Texas | Texas blue topaz | Gem | 1969 |
silver | Precious Metal | 2007 | |
petrified palmwood | Stone | 1969 | |
Utah | copper | 1994 | |
coal | Rock | 1991 | |
topaz | Gem | 1969 | |
Vermont | talc | 1991 | |
grossular granite | Gem | 1991 | |
marble | Rock | 1992 | |
Virginia | Nelsonite | Rock | 2016 |
Washington | petrified wood | Gem | 1975 |
West Virginia | bituminous coal | Rock | 2009 |
Lithostrotionella (fossilized coral) | Gem | 1990 | |
Wisconsin | galena (lead) | 1971 | |
red granite | Rock | 1971 | |
Wyoming | jade (nephrite) | Gemstone | 1967 |
Canada ˆ
List of Provincial Minerals | |||
---|---|---|---|
Province | Mineral, etc. | Designation | |
Alberta | ammolite | Gemstone | |
British Columbia | jade | Gemstone | 1968 |
Newfoundland | labradorite | Mineral | |
Northwest Territories | gold | Mineral | 1981 |
diamond | Gemstone | 1999 | |
Nova Scotia | stilbite | Mineral | 1999 |
agate | Gemstone | 1999 | |
Ontario | amethyst | Mineral | 1975 |
Saskatchewan | sylvite (potash) | Mineral | 1997 |
Yukon Territory | lazulite | Gemstone | 1976 |