Prairie Creek Kimberlite

Producer in Pike county in Arkansas, United States with commodity Diamond
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Materials information
  8. Mineral occurrence model information
  9. Host and associated rocks
  10. Nearby scientific data
  11. Geologic structures
  12. Ore body information
  13. Controls for ore emplacement
  14. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  15. Land status
  16. Ownership information
  17. Workings at the site
  18. Links to other databases
  19. Bibliographic references
  20. General comments
  21. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10111285
MRDS ID WA00040
Record type Site
Current site name Prairie Creek Kimberlite
Alternate or previous names Murfreesboro, Crater of Diamonds

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -93.67353, 34.03374 (WGS84)
Elevation 122
Location accuracy 100(meters)
Relative position 2.5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MURFREESBORO, A FEW MILES SOUTH OF BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN AND THE OACHITA MTS., Acc Loc. From Second International Kimberlite Conference Guidebook, Oct. 1977

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Pike(county)

Arkansas(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Murfreesboro(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Arkadelphia(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Little Rock(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Little Missouri(hydrologic unit)

Upper Ouachita(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Red-Ouachita(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Mississippi(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Arkansas Pike

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
8S}} 25W}} }} Arkansas

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Diamond Primary

Comments on the commodity information

  • LARGEST DIAMOND REPORTED WAS THE "UNCLE SAM", 1924, WEIGHING 40.23 CARATS. IT WAS CUT TO 24.3 CARATS. COLOR IS FAINTLY ROSE.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chlorite Gangue
Mica Gangue
Phlogopite Gangue
Serpentine Gangue

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 31
USGS model code 12
Deposit model name Diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Ultramafic Intrusive Rock > Peridotite > Kimberlite

Nearby scientific data

(1) -93.67353, 34.03374

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Edge Of Oachita Mts., In The Gulf Coastal Plain
Type of structure Local
Structure description Kimberlite Pipe

Ore body information

  • Name 1
    General form PIPE

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Peridotite Breccia Exposed At Surface

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Non-metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Discovery year 1906
Discoverer John W. Huddleston, Farmer
Year of first production 1909
Year of last production 1949
Production years 1919-20, 1948-49

Land status

Ownership category State

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Arkansas Division Of State Parks And Tourism
  • Type Owner
    Owner State Of Arkansas
    Home office Arizona

Comments on the production information

  • ARK GEOL AND CONS COMM BULL 6, 1959, ESTIMATED 48,000 STONES FOUND FROM DISCOVERY UNTIL 1959; AVERAGE WEIGHT ESTIMATED AT 0.25 CARATS.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Surface
    Area 29.543HA

Comments on development

  • 9/93: INFORMATION FROM MIKE HOWARD, GEOLOGIST, ARKANSAS GEOLOGICAL COMMISSION,3815 WEST ROOSEVELT ROAD, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72204;(501) 663-9714: CURRENT EXPLORATION BY A CONSORTIUM OF COMPANIES BEGAN A FEW YEARS AGO IN HOPES OF STARTING A MINING OPERATION. FIRST PHASE, DRILLING; NOW WRITING APPLICATION FOR 2ND PHASE (SAMPLING); NEXT, WILL BUILD A PILOT PLANT ON SITE TO DO SAMPLING. A MINIMUM OF 1000 CARATS OF STONES MUST BE SENT TO NEW YORK AND AMSTERDAM FOR EVALUATION. ARKANSASANS DO NOT WISH TO LOSE TOURISM RELATED TO THE PROPERTY (CURRENTLY, $3.50 ENTRY FEE ALLOWS TOURIST TO DIG FOR DIAMONDS ALL DAY, AS WELL AS GET A FULL TOUR OF THE MINING OPERATION). BILL BUSH, ARK. GEOL. COMM., IS FAMILIAR WITH THE MINING COMPANIES EXPLORING THE SITE.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    MILLAR, HOWARD A., 1976, IT WAS FINDERS KEEPERS AT AMERICA'S ONLY DIAMOND MINE: NEW YORK, NY, CARLTON PRESS, INC. (A HEARTHSTONE BOOK), 175 PAGES.

  • Deposit

    ARKANSAS GEOLOGICAL AND CONSERVATION COMMISSION, 1959 (REVISED ED.), MINERAL RESOURCES OF ARKANSAS: ARKANSAS GEOLOGICAL AND CONSERVATION COMMISSION BULLETIN 6, P. 60-61.

  • Deposit

    MEYER, HENRY O.A., LEWIS, RICHARD D., BOLIVAR, STEPHEN, AND BROOKINS, DOUGLAS G., 1977, PRAIRIE CREEK KIMBERLITE, MURFREESBORO, PIKE COUNTY, ARKANSAS: GENERAL DESCRIPTION FOR FIELD EXCURSION 24 SEPT. 1977: SECOND INTERNATIONAL KIMBERLITE CONFERENCE, HELD IN SANTA FE, NM, OCT. 1977.

  • Deposit

    MISER, H.D., AND ROSS, C.S., 1923, DIAMOND-BREARING PERIDOTITE IN PIKE COUNTY,ARKANSAS: US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 735, P. 279-322

  • Deposit

    THOENEN, J.R., HILL, R.S., HOWE, E.G., AND RUNKE, S.M., 1949, INVESTIGATION OF THE PRAIRIE CREEK DIAMOND AREA, PIKE COUNTY, ARKANSAS: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 4549, 24 PAGES.

  • Production

    ORAL COMMUNICATION, MIKE HOWARD, GEOLOGIST, ARKANSAS GEOLOGIC AND CONSERVATION DIV., 9/93

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit FROM ARK. GEOL. AND CONS. COMM. BULL. 6, P. 60: SEVERAL EFFORTS WERE MADE TO PLACE THE RECOVERY OF DIAMONDS ON A COMMERCIAL BASIS, BUT WITHOUT SUSTAINED SUCCESS. IN 1919, THE ARKANSAS DIAMOND CORPORATION WAS ORGANIZED WITH A CAPITAL OF 10 MILLION DOLLARS. A WASHING PLANT WAS ERECTED WHICH IN 1920 WASHED 18 THOUSAND LOADS OF PERIDOTITE. THE CORPORATION DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS AFTER 9 MONTHS. EARLY IN 1940 THE PROPERTY WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE DIAMOND CORPORATION OF ARKANSAS. A 2000 TON WASHING AND CONCENTRATING PLANT BEGAN OPERATION IN 1948 AND WAS SHUT DOWN A YEAR LATER. MR. HOWARD A. MILLAR OPERATED THE "CRATER OF DIAMONDS" ON PART OF THE AREA AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION. DIAMONDS AS LARGE AS THE "STAR OF ARKANSAS" (15.22 CARATS UNCUT) HAVE BEEN FOUND BY VISITORS.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-SEP-93 Jenness, Jane E. U.S. Geological Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.