sedimentary
Zebra Jasper
Banded microcrystalline quartz (SiO2)
Hardness: 6.5-7 on Mohs scale; Color: Black, white, grey, and brown banding; Luster: Vitreous to waxy; Texture: Fine-grained and opaque; Cleavage: None.
- Hardness
- 6
- Color
- Black, white, grey, and brown banding
- Luster
- Vitreous to waxy
Identified More sedimentary →
Explore Zebra Jasper in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 6.5-7 on Mohs scale; Color: Black, white, grey, and brown banding; Luster: Vitreous to waxy; Texture: Fine-grained and opaque; Cleavage: None.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the deposition of silica-rich fluids in sedimentary environments, often over millions of years, gaining its stripes from rhythmic deposition or subsequent metamorphic staining.
Uses & applications
Primarily used as a decorative stone, in jewelry (beads, cabochons), and as a popular tumbled stone for collectors and spiritual practitioners.
Geological facts
Despite the name 'jasper', many specimens sold as Zebra Jasper are actually types of banded marble or travertine, but the variety shown is typically a densly packed quartz variety.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its distinct high-contrast parallel or wavy stripes resembling a zebra pattern. Most commercial specimens are sourced from Brazil, Africa, or India.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Sedimentary Sandstone
Arenite (Sedimentary Rock)
sedimentary
Fossiliferous Concretion
Septarian Concretion containing Brachiopods/Crinoids
fossil
Shale
Shale (clastic sedimentary rock)
sedimentary
Brown Sandstone (River Rock)
Arenite
sedimentary
Shale
Argillaceous sedimentary rock
sedimentary