RI State Rock and Mineral, Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge - Smithfield, RI
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 52.114 W 071° 31.823
19T E 290001 N 4638279
Within the Nature Center for the Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge is a sample of Cumberlandite and Bowenite, Rhode Island's state rock and mineral, respectively.
Waymark Code: WMFPD4
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 11/12/2012
Views: 6
In Smithfield, about a hundred feet south of the intersection of Route 5 and Route 44, is the Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, which has a small rock display in the nature center.
The Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge is one of several properties owned and run by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. In fact, the headquarters for the society is in the same building.
The display is located near the entrance to the building. There are two rocks: Cumberlandite, which is the Rhode Island state rock, and Bowenite, which is the state mineral. There is a small tag at the base of each rock identifying it.
Cumberlandite is brownish and grayish, with voids all around. Wikipedia states that it is found in large concentrations only on a 4 acre lot in the Blackstone River Valley. It is an igneous rock with large portions of iron, which makes it slightly magnetic. It is a fairly old rock - it was formed about 1.5 billion years ago.
Bowenite is a type of greenish serpentine that is classed as a semi-precious stone. The mineral has been made into jewelry or tools.
Sources:
Wikipedia
(Cumberlandite):
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visit link)
(Bowenite):
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visit link)
Audubon Society of Rhode Island (Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge):
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visit link)