16.5" Polished Rainforest Jasper (Rhyolite) Section - Australia

Rainforest jasper is the trade name for a very colorful type of Rhyolite. It was formed during an eruption of the long extinct Mount Hay volcano near Queensland, Australia about 120 million years ago. Rain forest 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 and formed by eruptions of granitic magmas. Granitic magmas which are very dense and due to their density they cool more slowly allowing a lot of 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.