sedimentary
Mookaite Jasper
Silicified radiolarian ooze (SiO2)
Hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, features a vibrant array of colors including yellow, red, mauve, cream, and brown, vitreous to dull luster, cryptocrystalline structure, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.60 to 2.65.
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Physical properties
Hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, features a vibrant array of colors including yellow, red, mauve, cream, and brown, vitreous to dull luster, cryptocrystalline structure, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.60 to 2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed from the skeletons of single-celled organisms called radiolaria that accumulated as a deep-sea ooze, later silicified during the Cretaceous period in Western Australia.
Uses & applications
Widely used for ornamental carvings, polished tumbles, lapidary art, and gemstone jewelry.
Geological facts
Mookaite is found exclusively in the Mooka Creek area of the Kennedy Ranges in Western Australia and is culturally significant to the local Indigenous Australian people.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its distinct multicoloured banded or speckled patterns of warm earth tones, particularly reds, yellows, and purples. Found strictly in Western Australia.
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