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8.6" Free-Standing, Polished Septarian Geode - Black Crystals
This is a unique polished septarian geode collected in the Betsiboka Region of Madagascar. The hollow cavity is full of beautiful, sparkling black/brown calcite crystals, along with colorless barite crystals. It is a hollow septarian nodule, which has been polished into a sculpture with the natural, cracked pattern of the septarian giving it a very interesting appearance. The base has been cut flat so that it stands up on it's own.
Septarian or septarian nodules are concretions containing angular cavities or cracks, called "septaria", filled with calcite and aragonite. A concretion is a hard, compact mass of rock that often forms around decaying organic matter. In the case of septarian nodules, the concretions formed around decaying sea life in a marine environment.
The exact mechanism for how the cracks form in the concretions is a mystery. One possible mechanism is the dehydration of the clay-rich core of a concretion, causing it to shrink and crack. The cracks could also be caused by gas expansion produced by the decaying organic matter within a concretion. Earthquakes have also been suggested as yet another mechanism.
The cracks in the concretions are then filled in with minerals such as calcite (yellow), aragonite (brown), and sometimes pyrite, causing very interesting patterns. They have often been described as looking like dragon's skin. They are frequently found as geodes with hollow, calcite crystal-filled cavities. More rarely, the fossils that originally started the formation of the concretion are still preserved in the septarian.
The exact mechanism for how the cracks form in the concretions is a mystery. One possible mechanism is the dehydration of the clay-rich core of a concretion, causing it to shrink and crack. The cracks could also be caused by gas expansion produced by the decaying organic matter within a concretion. Earthquakes have also been suggested as yet another mechanism.
The cracks in the concretions are then filled in with minerals such as calcite (yellow), aragonite (brown), and sometimes pyrite, causing very interesting patterns. They have often been described as looking like dragon's skin. They are frequently found as geodes with hollow, calcite crystal-filled cavities. More rarely, the fossils that originally started the formation of the concretion are still preserved in the septarian.
SPECIES
Septarian with Calcite & Barite
AGE
LOCATION
Ambondromamy, Betsiboka Region, Madagascar
SIZE
8.6 x 6 x 4.5"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#302869
