February 28, 2009

Bauxite, the most common ore of aluminum, was first found in Arkansas in 1887 and publicly identified by State Geologist John C. Branner in 1891. Bauxite is found mostly in Saline and Pulaski counties. In 1967, an omnibus bill, Act 128, contained a measure designating bauxite as the official state rock. The same measure designated the diamond as the official state gem and quartz crystal as the official state mineral.