Petition to Make Nelsonite the State Rock
Forty-five states in America have an official state rock; Virginia is not one of them. Professor Larry Tiezzi thinks it is time to change that. Tiezzi teaches Honors Historical Geology and according to one of his students, Teshawna Quarles, Tiezzi decided to work with Assistant Professor Connie Jorgensen to petition to make the Nelson rock Virginia’s official state rock.
A few students from Tiezzi’s honors class, including Quarles and some from Jorgensen’s political science class are involved in this project. The rock they are petitioning for is the Nelsonite, named for Nelson County, VA. The petition efforts started the week of Oct. 19. It started in the testing center and moved to a table in the Bolick Center.
Many students did not know what the project is about and what a Nelsonite rock is, so Quarles was happy shed light on the subject:
What is the Nelsonite?
It’s a rock that has some historical significance to Virginia. It used to be mined for titanium. Its type locality is Nelson County, Virginia.
What does type locality mean?
Basically it’s where the rock is originally found.
What does the rock look like?
It’s a black and white speckled rock. It looks really pretty.
Why is there a push for naming the Nelson Rock as the state rock for VA?
It’s supported by the Virginia State Geologists. Our state, Virginia, is one of five states that has no state rock.
Why is it important to you that VA has a state rock?
I just love the idea that there is a rock out there called Nelsonite which is in an area that people outside of Virginia and Nelson County know of.
Who is involved with this project?
There’s our two professors, Jorgensen and Tiezzi. Four students from the geology side and four students from the political science side. We called ourselves Students for Nelsonite.
How many signatures are you aiming for?
We’re aiming for 2600.
