6" Polished "Desert Sunset" Banded Iron Slab - Western Australia

This is a 6" wide, cut/polished thick slab of "Desert Sunset" banded iron from Western Australia. It has been cut and polished to a glossy finish on one side.

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
6 x 3.3", 1.8" thick
CATEGORY
ITEM
#133020