What is the biggest Lake Superior agate ever found?
110 pounds
The largest-ever Lake Superior agate was over 110 pounds, the size of a small adult. If you want a pretty, shiny agate, drop them into water. Another common practice is to put agates through a rock tumbler to polish and round them.
How did Lake Superior agates form?
Over 1 billion years ago, lava flowed through in the area we now know as Lake Superior. As the lava cooled, air pockets filled with mineral rich water, depositing layers of chalcedony quartz that hardened together to form agates.
What is the largest agate ever found?
The largest agate measures 61,090.2 kg (134,680.84 lb) and was verified at an event organized by the Development & Reform Commission of Fuxin Municipal Government in Fuxin City, Liaoning Province, China, on 25 October 2009. The agate measures 22.62 cubic meters(798.82 cubic feet).
What is Lake Superior agate made of?
quartz
General description: Lake Superior agates are generally shaped as irregular spheres. They are made up of quartz, often reddened by iron and deposited in layers to create concentric circles that look like the rings on the cross section of a tree.
Can I take rocks from Lake Superior?
Yes, you can walk along Lake Superior shoreline, it’s covered with rocks. over a year ago. Yes, you may collect rocks.
Where is the best place to find Lake Superior agates?
Agates can be found along Lake Superior’s North Shore. They can also be found near inland near lakes, almost any place with gravel or exposed rocks and the gravel banks of nearby streams and rivers. Lake Superior beaches along Highway 61 that we recommend for agate hunting include: Brighton Beach, Duluth.
What makes Lake Superior agates unique?
Description. The Lake Superior agate differs from other agates found around the world in its rich red, orange, and yellow coloring. This color scheme is caused by the oxidation of iron. Iron leached from rocks provided the pigment that gives the gemstone its beautiful array of color.
When was the Lake Superior agate adopted?
Its wide distribution and iron-rich bands of color reflect the gemstone’s geologic history in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Michigan. In 1969 the Lake Superior agate was designated by the Minnesota Legislature as the official state gemstone.
What is the rarest agate?
Dendritic Agate It is considered to be the most valuable form of agate.
How much is an agate worth?
Most agates are cheap ($1 – $10), but some can be very expensive ($100 – $3000) depending on their type, colors, and the location where they were found. Tumbled agate is automatically more expensive than raw agate and those with very vibrant colors, fine bands or are found in one place only also cost more.
Where were Lake Superior agates formed?
Minnesota
The Lake Superior agate was selected because the agate reflects many aspects of Minnesota. It was formed during lava eruptions that occurred in Minnesota about a billion years ago. The stone’s predominant red color comes from iron, a major Minnesota industrial mineral found extensively throughout the Iron Range region.
How old are the rocks in Lake Superior?
How old is it? The volcanic rocks in the rift are about 1,100 million, or 1.1 billion, years old (Davis and Green 1997).
Why was the Lake Superior agate selected?
The Lake Superior agate was selected because the agate reflects many aspects of Minnesota. It was formed during lava eruptions that occurred in Minnesota about a billion years ago. The stone’s predominant red color comes from iron, a major Minnesota industrial mineral found extensively throughout the Iron Range region.
How big do Lake Superior agates get?
A few Lake Superior agates have been found that are 22 cm in diameter with a mass exceeding 10 kilograms. Very large agates are extremely rare. The most common type of Lake Superior agate is the fortification agate with its eye-catching banding patterns.
What is a cabochon of Lake Superior agate?
A cabochon of Lake Superior agate. The Lake Superior agate is a type of agate stained by iron and found on the shores of Lake Superior. Its wide distribution and iron-rich bands of color reflect the gemstone’s geologic history in Minnesota, Wisconsin, nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Michigan.
What is a Lake Michigan cloud agate?
“The Lake Michigan cloud agate is formed within limestone or dolomite strata and sometimes contains fossilized marine animals and corals,” says Tarah. “These agates are often less colorful than Lake Superior agates and resemble clouds over the lakeshore in their banded white, grey, and sometimes blue chalcedony.”
