State Gemstone: Fairburn Agate Fairburn Agate is a semiprecious stone that was first discovered near Fairburn, South Dakota.
What is the state’s official rock?
Table of minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones
| State federal district or territory | Mineral | Rock or stone |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Hematite (1967) | Marble (1969) |
| Alaska | Gold (1968) | |
| Arizona | Wulfenite | |
| Arkansas | Quartz (1967) | Bauxite (1967) |
What is a state stone?
Limestone, quarried from the ground, is a common state stone. Many United States (US) states choose official symbols to represent the state to locals and visitors. These official symbols help to project the desired image and pride, and may help to promote tourism and travel.
How much is a Fairburn Agate worth?
The Fairburn agate is named for the town of Fairburn. Agates may not show their unique beauty until they are split, like this one. The gems can easily be worth upwards of $1,000, depending on their size, shape and color, according to collector Woodden.
What is a Fairburn rock?
The Fairburn Agate is a type of gemstone found in the agate beds of Southwestern South Dakota and Northwestern Nebraska. It is also the state gemstone of South Dakota. Fairburns are characterized from other types of agate by their colors and the shape of the bands.
What states have agates?
Agate. Agate is the state gem of Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, and North Dakota. This makes it by far the most popular state gemstone (and state rock).
What are quartzite rocks?
quartzite, sandstone that has been converted into a solid quartz rock. Unlike sandstones, quartzites are free from pores and have a smooth fracture; when struck, they break through, not around, the sand grains, producing a smooth surface instead of a rough and granular one.
What states have opals?
Opals: – These are mainly found in the states of Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. In Virgin Valley in Nevada there are black fire opals. Oregon is also famous for its Thundereggs and Sunstones.
What are all the state gemstones?
State Gemstones, Minerals and Rocks
| State | Gemstone | Mineral |
|---|---|---|
| California | Benitoite | Gold |
| Colorado | Aquamarine | Rhodochrosite |
| Connecticut | Garnet | Almandine Garnet |
| Delaware | Sillimanite |
What is the Texas state rock?
Petrified Palmwood
The Texas Blue Topaz was adopted as the Texas state gem and Petrified Palmwood as the Texas state stone on March 26, 1969. The Blue Topaz is found in the Llano uplift area in Central Texas and is most commonly used in jewelry.
How rare are Fairburn agates?
For those who aren’t into hiking, these unique agates can be found at the many local rock shops. Shawn reported that he has 50 to 100 fairburn agates at any given time. Tourists often come in just to see the fairburns, but don’t usually purchase because of the high price.
What does a Fairburn Agate look like on the outside?
Select pieces will show tight banding and nice coloration. When searching among other rocks Fairburn agates can also be identified by their smooth, exterior texture. They also have an appearance of cracked surface look.
Where can I hunt Fairburn agates?
Fairburn agates can be found in several locations in southwestern South Dakota, but the most popular spot might be the Kern agate beds east of Fairburn.
Can you take rocks from the Black Hills?
Rockhounding – the collecting of small rocks or mineral specimens from the surface, for personal use – on the Black Hills National Forest does not require a permit. Collecting from within historical sites on the Forest is not allowed.
What is Montana agate?
Montana Moss Agate is a name given to this beautiful chalcedony. It’s found, most abundantly, in the alluvial. gravels of the Yellowstone River. This agate would probably be better named Yellowstone Agate, because its genesis was centered in the Yellowstone Park area.
What kind of rock is an agate?
agate, common semiprecious silica mineral, a variety of chalcedony that occurs in bands of varying colour and transparency. Agate is essentially quartz, and its physical properties are in general those of that mineral. See silica mineral (table).
Are agate rocks worth money?
Most agates are cheap ($1 – $10), but some can be very expensive ($100 – $3000) depending on their type, colors, and the location where they were found. Tumbled agate is automatically more expensive than raw agate and those with very vibrant colors, fine bands or are found in one place only also cost more.
What state has the most gems?
A quarter of the states produce the majority of the gemstones in the country. In decreasing order of production value, Idaho, Arizona, Oregon, California, Montana, Arkansas, Maine, Colorado, North Carolina, Nevada, Texas and Utah produced 90 percent of the U.S.’s natural gemstones last year, the USGS said.
Is petrified wood an agate?
Petrified wood formed from ancient walnut, Myrtlewood, sycamore, and birch. The petrification process involves the gradual cellular replacement of decayed organic material by quartz crystals such as agate, jasper, amethyst, opal, or citrine.
What does a quartzite rock look like?
Quartzite is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock that consists mostly of quartz. It’s usually a white to pale gray rock, but occurs in other colors, including red and pink (from iron oxide), yellow, blue, green, and orange. The rock has a grainy surface with a sandpaper texture, but polishes to a glassy shine.
What is marble parent rock?
The presence of the foliated rock, likely slate, suggests that, before this rock metamorphosed, it was composed of limestone (the parent rock of marble) layered with small-grained sedimentary rocks, like siltstone or shale.
