Agate

Agate is a many-colored, banded form of chalcedony (a variety of quartz) that has been deposited in cavities or in veins. Beautiful agates that were transported by glaciers during the Ice Age are found in the Glaciated Region in Kansas.

Chemical composition: silicon dioxide
Formula: SiO2 (SI=silicon, O=oxygen)
Color: multi-colored
Luster: waxy
Hardness: 6.5–7
Specific gravity: 2.58–2.64
Amount of transparency: translucent

Resources

Buchanan, R., 2010, Kansas Geology: An Introduction to Landscapes, Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils (2nd ed.): Lawrence, Kansas, University Press of Kansas, 240 p.

Buchanan, R., and McCauley, J. R., 2010, Roadside Kansas: A Traveler's Guide to Its Geology and Landmarks (2nd ed.): Lawrence, Kansas, University Press of Kansas, 392 p.

Buchanan, R. C., Tolsted, L. L., and Swineford, A., 1986, Kansas Rocks and Minerals: Kansas Geological Survey, Educational Series 2, 60 p.

Grisafe, D. A., 1999, Primer of industrial minerals for Kansas: Kansas Geological Survey, Educational Series 13, 28 p.

Kansas Geological Survey, 2001, Industrial Minerals in Kansas.

Tolsted, L. L., and Swineford, A., 1957 (revised 1998), Kansas Rocks and Minerals: Kansas Geological Survey, Educational Series 2, 64 p.