Agate

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For other uses, see Agate (disambiguation).

Banded agate (agate-like onyx); the specimen is 2.5 cm (0.98 in) wide

General

Category

Quartz variety

Formula

SiO2 silicon dioxide

(repeating unit)

Crystal system

Rhombohedral Microcrystalline

Identification

Color

White to grey, light blue, orange to red, black.

Crystal habit

Cryptocrystalline silica

Cleavage

None

Fracture

Conchoidal with very sharp edges.

Mohs scalehardness 6.57

Luster

Waxy

Streak

White

Diaphaneity

Translucent

Specific gravity

2.582.64

Refractive index

1.5301.540

Birefringence

up to +0.004 (B-G)

Pleochroism

Absent

Agate /t/ is a cryptocrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness
of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are
classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.[1]
Contents
[hide]

1Etymology and history

2Formation and characteristics

3Types of agate

4Uses in industry and art

5Health impact

6See also

7Notes

8References

9External links

Etymology and history[edit]

The stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered
the stone along the shore line of the river Achates (Greek: ) in present-day Sicily,[2] sometime
between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.[3] Colorful agates and other chalcedonies were obtained over
3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now called Dirillo.

Ancient use[edit]
Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hardstone carving, and has been
recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its widespread use in the ancient world; for
example, archaeological recovery at the Knossos site on Crete illustrates its role in Bronze
Age Minoan culture.[4]

Formation and characteristics[edit]

Botswana agate

Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas, in former cavities produced
by volatiles in the original molten mass, which were then filled, wholly or partially, by siliceous matter
deposited in regular layers upon the walls. Agate has also been known to fill veins or cracks in
volcanic or altered rock underlain by granitic intrusive masses. Such agates, when cut transversely,
exhibit a succession of parallel lines, often of extreme tenuity, giving a banded appearance to the
section. Such stones are known as banded agate, riband agateand striped agate.
In the formation of an ordinary agate, it is probable that waters containing silica in solutionderived,
perhaps, from the decomposition of some of the silicates in the lava itselfpercolated through the
rock and deposited a siliceous gel in the interior of the vesicles. Variations in the character of the
solution or in the conditions of deposition may cause a corresponding variation in the successive
layers, so that bands of chalcedony often alternate with layers of crystalline quartz. Several vapourvesicles may unite while the rock is still viscous, and thus form a large cavity which may become the
home of an agate of exceptional size; thus aBrazilian geode lined with amethyst and weighing
35 tons was exhibited at the Dsseldorf Exhibition of 1902. Perhaps the most comprehensive review
of agate chemistry is a recent text by Moxon cited below.
The first deposit on the wall of a cavity, forming the "skin" of the agate, is generally a dark greenish
mineral substance, like celadonite, delessite or "green earth", which are rich iniron probably derived
from the decomposition of the augite in the enclosing volcanic rock. This green silicate may give rise
by alteration to a brown iron oxide (limonite), producing a rusty appearance on the outside of the
agate-nodule. The outer surface of an agate, freed from its matrix, is often pitted and rough,

apparently in consequence of the removal of the original coating. The first layer spread over the wall
of the cavity has been called the "priming", and upon this base, zeolitic minerals may be deposited.
Many agates are hollow, since deposition has not proceeded far enough to fill the cavity, and in such
cases the last deposit commonly consists of drusy quartz, sometimesamethystine, having
the apices of the crystals directed towards the free space so as to form a crystal-lined cavity or
geode.
When the matrix in which the agates are embedded disintegrates, they are set free. The agates are
extremely resistant to weathering and remain as nodules in the soil, or are deposited as gravel in
streams and along shorelines.

Types of agate[edit]

Agatized coral

Dendritic agate

"Turritella agate" (Elimia tenera)

Crazy lace agate

A Mexican agate, showing only a single eye, has received the name of cyclops agate. Included
matter of a green, golden, red, black or other color or combinations embedded in the chalcedony
and disposed in filaments and other forms suggestive of vegetable growth, gives rise to dendritic
ormoss agate. Dendritic agates have fern like patterns in them formed due to the presence of
manganese and iron oxides. Other types of included matter deposited during agate-building include
sagenitic growths (radial mineral crystals) and chunks of entrapped detritus (such as sand, ash, or
mud). Occasionally agate fills a void left by decomposed vegetative material such as a tree limb or
root and is called limb cast agate due to its appearance. Enhydro agate contains tiny inclusions of
water, sometimes with air bubbles.
Turritella agate is formed from silicified fossil Elimia tenera (erroneously considered Turritella)
shells. E. tenera are spiral freshwater gastropodshaving elongated, spiral shells composed of many
whorls. Similarly, coral, petrified wood and other organic remains or porous rocks can also become
agatized. Agatized coral is often referred to as Petoskey stone or agate.[citation needed]
Greek agate is a name given to pale white to tan colored agate found in Sicily back to 400 BC. The
Greeks used it for making jewelry and beads. Even though the stone had been around centuries and
was known to both the Sumerians and the Egyptians, both who used the gem for decoration and for
playing important parts in their religious ceremonies, any agate of this color from Sicily, once an
ancient Greek colony, is called Greek agate.
Brazilian agate is found as sizable geodes of layered nodules. These occur in brownish tones
interlayered with white and gray. Quartz forms within these nodules, creating a striking specimen
when cut opposite the layered growth axis. It is often dyed in various colors for ornamental
purposes.
Certain stones, when examined in thin sections by transmitted light, show a diffraction spectrum due
to the extreme delicacy of the successive bands, whence they are termed rainbow agates. Often
agate coexists with layers or masses of opal, jasper or crystalline quartz due to ambient variations
during the formation process.
Lace agate is a variety that exhibits a lace-like pattern with forms such as eyes, swirls, bands or
zigzags (if these predominate, it is called lattice agate). Crazy lace agate, found in Mexico, is often
brightly colored and complexly patterned. Blue lace agate is found in Africa and is especially hard.[5]
Polyhedroid agate is agate which has grown in a flat-sided shape similar to a polyhedron.[6] When
sliced, it often shows a characteristic layering of concentric polygons. Polyhedroid agate is thought
to be found only in Paraba State, Brazil. It has been suggested that growth is not
crystallographically controlled but is due to the filling-in of spaces between pre-existing crystals
which have since dissolved.[7]
Other forms of agate include Lake Superior agate; carnelian agate (has reddish hues); Botswana
agate; plume agate; condor agate, tube agate (with visible flow channels or pinhole-sized "tubes");
fortification agate (with contrasting concentric banding reminiscent of defensive ditches and walls
around ancient forts); fire agate (showing internal flash or "fire", the result of a layer of clear agate
over a layer of hydrothermally deposited hematite); and Patuxent River stone, a red and yellow form
of agate only found in Maryland, where it is the state gem.

Uses in industry and art[edit]

A 6.8 kg (15 lb) tumbler barrel full of glistening tumble-polished agate and jasper.

The "Rubens Vase" (Byzantine Empire). Carved in high relief from a single piece of agate, this extraordinary vase was most
likely created in an imperial workshop for a Byzantine emperor.

Industrial uses of agate exploit its hardness, ability to retain a highly polished surface finish and
resistance to chemical attack. It has traditionally been used to make knife-edge bearings
for laboratory balances and precision pendulums, and sometimes to make mortars and pestles to
crush and mix chemicals. It has also been used for centuries for leather burnishing tools.
The decorative arts use it to make ornaments such as pins, brooches or other types of jewellery,
paper knives, inkstands, marbles and seals. Agate is also still used today for decorative displays,
cabochons, beads, carvings and Intarsia art as well as face-polished and tumble-polished
specimens of varying size and origin. Idar-Oberstein was one of the centers which made use of
agate on an industrial scale. Where in the beginning locally found agates were used to make all
types of objects for the European market, this became a globalized business around the turn of the
20th century: Idar-Oberstein imported large quantities of agate from Brazil, as ship's ballast. Making
use of a variety of proprietary chemical processes, they produced colored beads that were sold
around the globe.[8] Agates have long been used in arts and crafts. The sanctuary of a Presbyterian
church in Yachats, Oregon, has six windows with panes made of agates collected from the local
beaches.[9]

Health impact[edit]
Respiratory diseases such as silicosis and higher incidence of tuberculosis among workers involved
in the agate industry has been reported from India and China.[10][11][12]