Table of Contents

• From the Editor—New Jersey’s Other “Others” by Howie Green 1–4
• The Fluorescent Minerals of the Hoboken Serpentine Body by Howie Green 5–6
• Informal Observations on Some Fluorescent Minerals of Castle Point by Edward W. Johnson 7–8
• New Jersey’s Trap Rock Quarries by Johan Maertens 9–11
• Laurel Hill (Snake Hill), Secaucus, Hudson County, NJ by Johan Maertens 12–13
• New Street Quarries, Garrett Mountain, Paterson, Passaic County, NJ by Johan Maertens 14–26
• Millington Quarry, Bernards Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA by Johan Maertens 27–33
• Chimney Rock Quarry, Bridgewater Township, Somerset County, NJ by Johan Maertens 34–37
• Trap Rock Industries Kingston Quarry, Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA by Johan Maertens 38
• Calcite / Fluorite from the Kingston Trap Rock Quarry by Pat Hintz 39–42
• Trap Rock Industries Moore’s Station Quarry, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA by Johan Maertens 43–46
• This Just In—Calcite from Laurel Hill by — 46

From the Editor—New Jersey’s Other “Others”

By Howie Green · pp. 1–4

The editor introduces this issue’s focus on fluorescent minerals from New Jersey trap rock quarries and reflects on the gap between fluorescence enthusiasts and collectors interested primarily in the region’s geology and mineral specimens. Green explains that the issue’s two parts address different audiences, and that the trap rock suite’s mineral diversity, crystal quality, and established collecting history merit attention even when fluorescence is not the main attraction. Peafowl observations provide a humorous frame for the editorial’s argument about recognizing what others value.

The Fluorescent Minerals of the Hoboken Serpentine Body

By Howie Green · pp. 5–6

Castle Point, the serpentine prominence in Hoboken now occupied by Stevens Institute of Technology, is presented as a historically important mineral locality across the Hudson from Manhattan. The introduction traces the site’s history and its connection to the Stevens family, describes its geological kinship with Todt Hill on Staten Island, and points to Nelson Horatio Darton’s 1882 account of the area’s minerals. Specimens pictured from Castle Point include hydromagnesite and artinite on serpentinite; the locality is identified as the type locality for hydromagnesite.

Informal Observations on Some Fluorescent Minerals of Castle Point

By Edward W. Johnson · pp. 7–8

Mineral specimens attributed to Castle Point in Hoboken show varied responses under short-, mid-, and long-wave ultraviolet illumination. Johnson reports weak bluish-white fluorescence from brucite, weak white fluorescence and phosphorescence from hydromagnesite, and white fluorescence from artinite, strongest in long-wave light; magnesite veins show weak orange fluorescence, best under mid-wave light. The observations rely on visual identifications rather than analyses, and some museum specimens labeled magnesite could instead be calcite or aragonite. The article also traces the likely museum provenance of the historic specimens.

New Jersey’s Trap Rock Quarries

By Johan Maertens · pp. 9–11

The Newark Basin’s trap rock localities formed within Triassic basalt flows, diabase intrusions, and interflow sediments associated with the rifting of Pangea. The article outlines how brines, vesicles, fractures, and later alteration produced mineral-bearing cavities and a diverse assemblage that includes zeolites, prehnite, calcite, and other species. It situates Paterson, Millington, Chimney Rock, Kingston, and Moore’s Station among the region’s quarry localities, distinguishing basalt quarries from diabase sites and summarizing the geological processes behind their collectible minerals.

Laurel Hill (Snake Hill), Secaucus, Hudson County, NJ

By Johan Maertens · pp. 12–13

Laurel Hill, historically called Snake Hill, is a diabase intrusion in the Hackensack River Meadowlands and an offshoot of the Palisades Sill. Quarrying removed much of the original landform, but the site yielded zeolites, calcite, and other hydrothermal minerals in vesicles and fractures. A 1982 specimen collected by Nicholas Facciolla proved to be petersite, a newly identified mineral named for Thomas and Joseph Peters. The article recounts the locality’s quarry history and mineralogical significance, noting that the former quarry area is now largely incorporated into Laurel Hill County Park.

New Street Quarries, Garrett Mountain, Paterson, Passaic County, NJ

By Johan Maertens · pp. 14–26

The Upper and Lower New Street quarries in Paterson exploited Orange Mountain Basalt and became highly productive sources of collectible trap rock minerals. Their pillow structures, vesicles, and fractures hosted calcite, amethyst, prehnite, and zeolites, including chabazite, apophyllite, heulandite, laumontite, natrolite, analcime, and datolite. Specimen examples and captions document fluorescence and phosphorescence, with especially notable responses in some chabazite, apophyllite, calcite, pectolite, and stevensite. The article also explains the quarries’ history, mineral-forming conditions, and rediscoveries during later construction projects.

Millington Quarry, Bernards Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA

By Johan Maertens · pp. 27–33

Millington Quarry, in the Hook Mountain Basalt of the Third Watchung Mountain, is distinguished by its rich secondary-mineral assemblage. The article recounts the quarry’s industrial history and identifies apophyllite, analcime, natrolite, and iron sulfides among its characteristic minerals, while heulandite, stilbite, and copper sulfides are comparatively scarce. Specimens illustrate the locality’s celebrated pectolite, including spherical and radiating masses, as well as calcite, natrolite, prehnite, and pectolite pseudomorphs after dissolved anhydrite. Most minerals respond weakly to ultraviolet light, but calcite can fluoresce brightly.

Chimney Rock Quarry, Bridgewater Township, Somerset County, NJ

By Johan Maertens · pp. 34–37

Chimney Rock Quarry in the Orange Mountain Basalt has produced distinctive calcite and zeolite specimens despite being less prolific than Paterson-area quarries. The article describes mineral deposition in cavities, faults, and breccias, and highlights large natrolite and analcime crystals. Some natrolite prisms were later coated by drusy heulandite that retained their shapes after the natrolite dissolved. Other documented specimens show natrolite followed by gypsum and calcite, while calcite occurs in varied habits, including large amber-colored rhombs and later colorless scalenohedral crystals.

Trap Rock Industries Kingston Quarry, Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA

By Johan Maertens · p. 38

The Kingston Quarry extracts diabase from the Rocky Hill Sill, a Jurassic intrusion that forms a prominent ridge in central New Jersey. Mineralization in the quarry is generally sparse, but a fault-related vein yielded an important assemblage of fluorite and calcite recovered for study by Rutgers University. In adjacent hornfels, calcite veins may contain garnet, albite, and epidote. The article outlines the quarry’s geological setting, the properties of its diabase, and the exceptional significance of the mineralized vein within an otherwise limited collecting locality.

Calcite / Fluorite from the Kingston Trap Rock Quarry

By Pat Hintz · pp. 39–42

A rare vein exposed in 1989 at the Kingston Trap Rock Quarry yielded a striking assemblage of calcite and purple and green fluorite. Hintz recounts how specimens reached collectors after Rutgers University studied and recovered material from the quarry, and describes banded pieces that may record successive pulses of hydrothermal fluids. Emission spectra identify manganese as the activator of calcite’s orange-red fluorescence, with additional dysprosium and cerium signatures, and europium as the activator of fluorite’s violet-blue fluorescence. Some specimens also contain phosphorescent opal.

Trap Rock Industries Moore’s Station Quarry, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA

By Johan Maertens · pp. 43–46

Moore’s Station Quarry, a former diabase quarry on Baldpate Mountain, ceased operation in 2023 and became part of a Mercer County park. The article places the locality within the Newark Basin’s Jurassic intrusions and notes that its diabase has yielded few collectible minerals. A rare mineralized vein produced orange stilbite-group specimens alongside well-formed, sometimes twinned calcite crystals ranging from colorless to white. The locality’s modest mineral output contrasts with richer basalt quarries such as Chimney Rock and Millington.

This Just In—Calcite from Laurel Hill

p. 46

A late-arriving specimen report adds calcite from Laurel Hill, also known as Snake Hill or the Penitentiary Quarry, in Secaucus, Hudson County, New Jersey. The specimen is shown in white light and long-wave ultraviolet illumination, providing a new visual record from a locality introduced earlier in the issue. Its inclusion documents material from the historic quarry locality and supplements the broader coverage of New Jersey trap rock and related igneous mineral sites.