A Beginners Guide to Agate Identification

So you found a cool rock—but is it an agate? This video will help you identify different kinds of agates and their imposters! Agate identification can sometimes be difficult—but using these tips and tricks will help you become a pro in no time!

Traits of an Agate:
Conchoidal Fracturing
Waxy Luster
Banding
7 on the Mohs Hardness Scale
Potato Skin/Bumpy Texture

Some of the agates and agate imposters mentioned in this video include:
Banded Agate: a classic translucent agate with banding 5:30, 6:09, 28:03, 29:15

Banded Jasper: a NON-translucent microcrystalline quartz in a variety of colors that includes a band or bands 6:40

Chalcedony: a translucent microcrystalline quartz that does NOT have banding 8:17, 20:00, 22:45, 28:00, 28:53

Paint Agate: a NON-translucent agate with banding 9:55, 20:25, 27:14

Fortification Agate: also called an adhesion banded agate, this type of agate has bands that connect with each other 10:00, 24:25

Floater Agate: an agate that has banding in between or "floating" in a sea of quartz 11:56

Moss agate: an agate that has a mossy looking pattern 12:50

Fractured Membrane Agate: an agate that’s banded is fractured into pieces 13:02

Geode Agate: an agate that has geode crystals inside of the rock 14:56

Tube Agate: an agate that has tube structures running through the rock 16:18

Peeler Agate: an agate that has been broken along banding lines or look like it's been "peeled" 17:55

Agate Veining: a host rock that has agate structure running through the rock 21:18

Gravitationally Banded Agate: an agate that has parallel horizontal bands 21:28

Carnelian Agate: a classic banded agate with a distinctive bright to dark red coloring 24:03

Agate Chips: small pieces of agate that have been broken away from an agate 24:35

Carnelian: a chalcedony with a red to red-orange coloring 27:40, 29:30

Whirl Agate: an agate that’s banding is whirled in swirls with no clear defined bands 29:00

Eye Agate: an agate that is similar to a tube agate but the circular agate eye is surface-level 29:43

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