Florida "Calcite Flower" Locality

I hope someone can help me pin down the location of this calcite crystal “flower” that is ex-John Barlow. His label says it is from “Florida Limestone Quarry, Brooksville, Florida”. There is another much like it in the book “The John F. Barlow Mineral Collection”, p.154, that is supposedly from “Florita Limestone Quarry, near LeCanto, Hernando County, Florida”. Lecanto (which is actually in Citrus County) and Brooksville (Hernando County) are only 22 miles apart. Mindat shows 7 quarries in Hernando County, but none with either of these names, although there are quarries named “Florida Mining and Materials Limestone - Broco Mine (Southdown - Broco Quarry)”; "Florida Mining/Materials Mine & Cement Plant"; and “Florida Rock Industries; Inc. - Brooksville Mine”.

There is one similar specimen from Florida shown in Mindat, here:
http://www.mindat.org/photo-181403.html ; with the location given as “Crystal Springs No. 2 quarry, Lecanto, Hardee Co., Florida, USA”. Hardee County is four counties south of Citrus County, so I think this locality is incorrect.

I think these specimens were somewhat plentiful locally in the early 1990s. There is a hole down the middle (~2 mm.), suggesting they’re stalactites. The story in the Barlow book is that they grew around palm tree roots. I hope someone can help me pin down the correct locality.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2012 02:25PM by Kelly Nash.

To confuse matters further, Jordi Fabre's mineral forum shows three very similar specimens here:
Fabre Mineral Forum post on Florida calcites
that are allegedly from "“Crystal River Quarry 2, Lecanto, Citrus County, Florida".

I guess I'm just talking to myself here. Too many words maybe. I've had to edit these entries several times to clarify and get the geography straight. Maybe I can save somebody else the time I've taken trying to figure this out.

I found yet another very similar specimen in John Bett's "Mineral Museum" website here:
Hernando County Calcite
This is labeled as "Florida Lime Co. Quarry, Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida", pretty close to the Barlow label on mine.

I think I'll just enter mine under Hernando County for now, and maybe someday I will figure out the alternate names of some of the quarries listed in Mindat to narrow it down further. It's certainly possible there is more than one locality for these, However, I do think the location for the specimen shown in Mindat in Hardee County (linked above) is probably an incorrect entry.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2012 02:29PM by Kelly Nash.

Kelly:
I have a calcite stalagtite tip from "Lecanto, Florida". Nothing more specific. That area of FL has many limerock quarries, and I would be surprised if you can pin down an exact hard locality. I have seen Chris Wright advertise a number of similar specimens labeled as from "Brooksville, Florida". Is there an expert in Florida limerock mines around? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only Floridian on mindat, and I'm no expert. I recently corresponded with a gentleman who was looking to visit and collect at limerock quarries in the general area. I wish I could offer more information to both of you.

I acquired a number of these in early 90's from a Florida collector. All had the hole in middle. I have doubts they were formed around palm tree roots, as the hole in each was very symetrical, and nearly all were the same diameter tube. I always believed they were stalactites with the hole being the liquid feed/drip tube, Several were terminated in a rounded tip without the flower, with the opening centered in the tip. I don't believe growing on a root would give the same symetry they all possessed. They were all labelled as being from the “Florida Limestone Quarry, Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida”. The one pictured is so similar to several of those I had that it may have been one that I sold at a show in the 90's. Clearly appears to be from the same locale. Unfortunately, Limestone quarries seem to change names frequently, as the ownership changes. ......Hal Prior

Heard from a dealer friend formerly a long time Florida resident, who has dealt with a lot of these specimens,'

"Its Crystal River Qy. No. 2, Lecanto, Citrus County, Florida"

I've never heard that these formed around palm tree roots before, but I'll say this: our palms have roots of very constant diameter (they don't continue to get thicker as they age like in dicots). But I suspect that the level that the calcite forms in is far below any existing roots. At Rucks Pit in Okeechobee County, the famous calcite clams come from a very deep level that has no living roots and no plant remains. That having been said, it is possible for calcite to form in more recent layers (or to form quickly in exposed areas). I've even seen a piece of undecomposed cypress wood (like a chip of landscape mulch) with yellow calcite growing on it. But I suspect that most of our FL calcite crystals of collection value come from deeper layers and are not formed around roots.

When I get home, I'll check out my mineral localities book (Ransom), but it may not give really specific information.

Ransom simply lists "Citrus County: Crystal River, area limestone quarry seams and vugs - calcite crystals (clear, pale yellow)...."

Thanks, all you guys. It sounds like I at least have it narrowed down to a couple counties (southern Citrus and/or northern Hernando County).

Dear Kelly,
I am the person that sold John Barlow his specimens of calcite. They are stalactites - no palm trees. I bought the pocket found by Frank Garcia so many years ago. I messaged Frank for the precise location and received this reply "LeCanto Fla,,,,,,about 4 miles due north of the on going Vulcan limestone mine near Brooksville, Florida".

I hope that helps.

Chris Wright