By Shannon Kosman
I will tell you a few facts about agates. Agates are rarely larger than an adult’s
fist. Agates appear in a variety of
colors: white to gray, red, reddish brown,
brown to yellow, blue to purple, and have multicolored bands. Agates are at a level seven on the Mohs scale
of hardness. They can be scratched by topaz. Agates are a form of quartz crystals that are
too small to see.
You can find agates
all over the country. In the southern
part of Colorado try looking along the Arkansas River. Agates are also found in the San Juan
Mountains. Agates can be found to the west of Teller county in Park county.
Look for see through material and bands of color. Maybe if you’re lucky you can find some agates
in your own backyard!
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| Figure 1. A agate from Deming, New Mexico. Photo by Pete Modreski. |
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| Figure 2. Note the beautiful banding of this agate. Various agates can be found in Park county and Fremont county. Photo by Pete Modreski. |
About the author:
Shannon Kosman is 8 years
old and is a third grader at Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning.
She enjoys rock collecting, Girl Scouts, reading and baton twirling. She
has been a member of Pebble Pups for the past year and is looking forward to
writing more articles.
References
Green, D. (2013). Rocks and minerals. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Lynch, D. R., & Lynch, B. (2010). Colorado rocks & minerals: A field guide to the centennial state. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc.
