This Specimen has been sold.
6.9" Polished Rainforest Jasper (Rhyolite) Section - Australia
This is a 6.9" wide polished Spherulitic Rhyolite section, collected from Mt. Hay, Queensland. Rhyolite (Rainforest Jasper) is group of extrusive igneous rocks, typically consisting of large-grained crystals such as feldspar or quartz dispersed in a fine-grained silicate rich rock. Comes with an acrylic stand.
Typically these slabs will have a consistent thickness, however this slab has a gradual slope of thickness. The thinnest point of the slab is .1" and the thickest point is .55" thick.
Typically these slabs will have a consistent thickness, however this slab has a gradual slope of thickness. The thinnest point of the slab is .1" and the thickest point is .55" thick.
Rainforest jasper is the trade name for a very colorful type of rhyolite. It was formed when the long extinct Mount Hay volcano near Queensland, Australia erupted about 120 million years ago and subsequent silica-rich fluids deposited into gaps and cavities. Rainforest jasper gets its name because the mixture of green, red, yellow, brown, and orange colorations reminds people of a rainforest canopy. The spherical cavities (orbs) are lined with often lined with opal and tridymite, and filled with chalcedony.
A rhyolite is a volcanic rock characterized by a high silica content that forms from eruptions of granitic magmas. Granitic magmas are very dense, which causes them to cool more slowly: this allows more time for large crystalline structures called phenocrysts to form. These phenocrysts are typically silica-based minerals such as quartz and chalcedony, and are what give rainforest jasper its unique appearance.
A rhyolite is a volcanic rock characterized by a high silica content that forms from eruptions of granitic magmas. Granitic magmas are very dense, which causes them to cool more slowly: this allows more time for large crystalline structures called phenocrysts to form. These phenocrysts are typically silica-based minerals such as quartz and chalcedony, and are what give rainforest jasper its unique appearance.
SPECIES
Rhyolite
LOCATION
Mt. Hay, Queensland, Australia
SIZE
6.9" wide, 5.1" tall, up to .55" thick
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#95904