agate

Encyclopedia Article

Article

A variety of chalcedony, a type of quartz. Agate is a very hard stone valued for its bands of color. One kind of agate for which the Southwest is particularly well-known is petrified wood agate, much of which can be viewed at Petrified Forest National Park, due west of the Zuni Reservation.

Photo Credit: 

 
Pieces of raw agate gathered near Abiquiu, New Mexico. cobalt123, photograph dated April 11, 2012.