5.8" Polished "Desert Sunset" Banded Iron Section - Western Australia

This is a 5.8" wide, cut/polished section of "Desert Sunset" banded iron from Western Australia. It has been cut and polished to a mirror like finish on one side, while the rest of the specimen has been left rough.

The banded iron is comprised of alternating bands of black hematite, chert and yellow/red jasper. It comes from near Fields Find, a small abandoned gold mining center in the Midwest Region of Western Australia.

Jasper is a term that can be applied to an opaque variety of chalcedony. The opaqueness is due to a higher concentration of impurities mixed with silica/quartz compared to other varieties of silica, such as quartz or agates. Like agate it may form in a wide variety of colors, and is often multi-colored. In most cases, jasper forms when silica-rich fluids permeate throughout a soft sediment or volcanic debris deposit. The fluids then crystallize around the particles/impurities, resulting in a cementation process. Most often, the impurities present determine the coloration of the deposit following solidification, but other factors can play a role in the color of what is now considered a jasper.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Jasper, Chert & Black Hematite
LOCATION
Fields Find, Midwest Region, Western Australia
SIZE
5.8 x 2.4", up to 2.4" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#133019