Massive, 15.8" Polished Snakeskin Jasper Section - Western Australia

Massive, Polished Snakeskin Jasper Section - Western Australia #130401

This is a vibrantly colored section of snakeskin jasper from Western Australia. It's been cut flat on two sides and polished to a mirror like finish on one, revealing some very interesting banded patterns. The other flat cut side is along one edge, making for a perfect display surface.

Snakeskin Jasper formed as seams of jaspilite in a banded iron formation called the "Weeli Wooli Formation" which is about 2.5 billion years old.

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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