Travertine Mineral Specimens from Ilion Gorge, New York
Travertine is a variety of the mineral calcite which commonly forms in caves and as
botryoidally coatings on rock where it is transported over them by water.
The specimens describes here are from the Ilion Gorge site which is found east
of Utica, New York. There are a wide variety of colors to the travertine from Ilion.
The orange to brown color varieties have a nice yellow
FLUORESCENCE and are also PHOSPHORESCENT for
3 to 10 seconds when exposed to UV light. The travertine is found in seams
within the local shale which is highly brecciated and also within small cave like
openings within this same rock. Some of the larger openings allow the
space for traditional cave formations to occur. Some of these formations
include stalactites (formations on the caves ceiling) and stalagmites
(formations on the caves floor). These pieces are very good examples of each of these structures.
The luster is not great, but, it is far better than the photos seem to indicate
(especially on the brownish orange specimen). The white square is included for scale so only the specimen number and price are
attached. All are exceptional values.
Don't forget to read our recent article published in Rock and Gem Magazine on
the Ilion Gorge collecting site.
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