Agates

I promised a picture of the agates that I had found a few weeks ago on the shore of Lake Superior. All of them are small, not bigger than the tip of a finger, but it is usually difficult to find any that are larger.

I took this picture about half way through our hunt and ended up finding a few more plus some other interesting rocks and lake glass (pieces of glass of which the edges have been smoothed by the natural tumbling process of the waves and rocks).



Some facts on the Lake Superior Agates:

• It is the Minnesota state gem stone.
• The Lake Superior Agates differ from other agates because of their color.
• Common colors of the LSA are red, orange, and yellow.
  
• The color is caused by the oxidation of iron.
• One of the rarest types of the LSA is the eye agate, which has perfectly round bands or "eyes" dotting the surface of the stone.
• Tumbling is the most common lapidary technique used on the LSA
• LSA have a translucent appearance
• Minnesotans make an event out agate hunting.
• Moose Lake State Park is the setting for the Agate Geological Interpretive Center.