mineral
Banded Agate
Agate (Microcrystalline Chalcedony/Quartz, SiO2)
Hardness: 6.5-7 Mohs; Color: Tan, brown, white, and yellow bands; Luster: Waxy to vitreous; Crystal Structure: Trigonal (cryptocrystalline); Specific Gravity: 2.58-2.64
- Hardness
- 6
- Color
- Tan, brown, white, and yellow bands
- Luster
- Waxy to vitreous
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Physical properties
Hardness: 6.5-7 Mohs; Color: Tan, brown, white, and yellow bands; Luster: Waxy to vitreous; Crystal Structure: Trigonal (cryptocrystalline); Specific Gravity: 2.58-2.64
Formation & geological history
Formed primarily in volcanic environments where silica-rich groundwater fills gas cavities (vesicles) in lava. The concentric layers are deposited over long periods of time.
Uses & applications
Commonly used for jewelry, lapidary arts, ornamental carvings, and gathering in rock tumbling. Industrially used for precision pendulums and mortars/pestles due to hardness.
Geological facts
Agate was named by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the Achates River in Sicily. Each agate specimen is unique due to the specific mineral impurities during formation.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its distinctive banding patterns and translucency. Commonly found in riverbeds, desert surfaces, and volcanic rock outcrops globally, especially in Brazil and the Lake Superior region.
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