Golden Plume Agate
Description
Like other agates, plume agates form in voids within rocks and many of the most spectacular examples come from open pockets created by trapped gas bubbles in basalt lavas. Ground water percolating through the basalts dissolves silica and other elements that are transported into the voids via fractures and cracks. The name ‘plume’ comes from inclusions of oxides of iron, manganese and other elements that grow in the agate during formation, when it is in a liquid or gelatinous state. The results appear, in striking contrast to their actual hardness, fluffy and soft – plume agate inclusions frequently resemble feathers, plants, or flowers.