3.1" Polished Banded Agate Nodule End Cut - Kerrouchen, Morocco

This is a gorgeous polished agate nodule end cut that was collected from the Khenifra Province of Morocco. One side of this specimen has been cut flat and polished to a glossy finish while the rest of the specimen been left rough.

Banded agate nodules from Kerrouchen (also spelled Karouchen or Kerrouchene) are known for their intense red, pink, white, yellow, orange and brown agate hues. They formed as nodules from silica and iron-rich fluids within Triassic-age basaltic rock. These nodules can reach upwards of 12 inches wide and can be collected from the basalt itself. More commonly, they're collected from apple farms in the valleys where farming processes expose these nodules that erode from the basalt. Both nodular and vein/seam agates come from this region.

Agate is a variety of microcrystalline quartz (chalcedony) that displays translucence and, in some cases, banding. Agate primarily forms when silica-rich fluids fill pockets within rocks and/or fossils, depositing the silica along the walls of the rock. This process can result in banding patterns, as the compositions and impurities of these depositing fluids change over time. These banding patterns can either form as flat layers, creating linear patterns known as waterline agate, or as rounded layers, forming more common ring-like patterns. These patterns depend on the surfaces available for deposition.

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DETAILS
SPECIES
Chalcedony var. Agate
LOCATION
Kerrouchen, Khenifra Province, Morocco
SIZE
3.1 x 2.3", up to 1.7" thick
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#181337