The Lake Superior Agate

Imagine looking down at your feet and you happen to be standing on this cool-looking rock. Upon further inspection you notice a few things, it is about the size of a baseball, it weighs about one pound, and the beautiful colors and designs. Would you think that you had just picked up a twelve-hundred-dollar rock, because you did, you just picked up an agate. Just over a year ago the word agate would not have meant anything to me. Ever since I found out about these beautiful gemstones, I have wanted to look more into them. More specifically I want to know more about the Lake Superior Agate and find out how valuable it is in comparison to other gemstones, like diamonds.

Many of the agates around the world were formed millions and millions of years ago when the earth was constantly changing. The earth floor would crack open, exposing the lava that lies beneath the surface. Luckily, this is exactly the situation needed to form different types of agates. “It is found mostly in volcanic rocks or lavas. Agate is powerful in filling the cracks in volcanic rocks once the lava bursts from them” (Reed, J., 2020). These gemstones can be blue, white, red, yellow, any color you can think of. The Lake Superior Agate normally has a red tint to it. While there may have never technically been any volcanos in northern Minnesota, that does not necessarily mean there was no volcanic activity. “More than a billion years ago, the North American continent began to split apart into two separate continents. This catastrophic event, spurred by a molten rock moving deep within the earth, poured out massive, iron-rich lava flows” (Wolter, S. F., 1988). This process of melting and hardening and melting and hardening was what created the beautiful designs on these rocks and one of the reasons they are so sought after. This is one of the ways the Lake Superior Agate differs from many other agates, but not the only way.

Lake Superior Agates differ from other agates in many ways, including color and where you will find them. “The Lake Superior agate differs from other agates found around the world in its rich red, orange, and yellow coloring. This color scheme is caused by the oxidation of iron” (Wolter, S. F., 1988). Iron is such a factor because of Minnesota’s iron range which extends through most of the north part of the state. The iron gives the Superior Agate a specific look that makes it easy to stand out from other agates. Other than color, where this agate is found is unique to itself. While it is called the Lake Superior Agate it can be found through much of Minnesota, not just on the shores of Lake Superior. “The Lake Superior agate can be found in many regions as it was distributed by glacial movement across Minnesota 10,000 to 15,000 years ago” (Reed, J., 2020). Thanks to glacial movement, you can find these beautiful gemstones from the north shores of Lake Superior, all the way down to the southern border of Minnesota with Iowa. You can be hiking along the north shore of Minnesota and along the riverbeds, you may be able to spot one, or on the shores of Lake Superior. Agates are denser than other rocks, they will settle in the bottom of the stream, which is the best place to look. Other popular spots for finding them is gravel pits. Gravel pits are great places to look because of all the exposed earth it provides and also a lot of the agates are almost a hundred feet in the ground. Hunting in the gravel pits can be quite dangerous, you can fall and injury yourself or get in trouble for trespassing, but the pits are where you are most likely to find the big ones. That being said, it is still extremely hard to find these gemstones and that is one reason I find the Lake Superior Agate to be so valuable.

When talking about gemstones and value, most people go straight to price to figure out which gemstone is more valuable than another. To me, there is more to it than that. Take for instance diamonds, diamonds are known to be an awfully expensive gemstone, but does that make it more valuable than a Lake Superior Agate? “All gem-quality materials are rare. They compose just a tiny fraction of the Earth. However, diamonds actually number among the most common gems” (Rosen, S.I., 2018). While diamonds are among the most common, the Lake Superior Agate is much scarcer, only found in a confined region. If scarcity has a contribution to how valuable a thing is, the Lake Superior Agate would be much more valuable then. These rocks are only found in one state, in one country of the world. Even when it does come to price, the price of a Superior Agate may come as a surprise to some. A half-pound agate will cost around five hundred dollars, a two-pound agate can cost anywhere from fifteen hundred to three thousand dollars. Those are not small numbers and when you think about how heavy rocks are, those are not excessively big rocks.  

 While other gemstones may have a higher price tag, I do not think that necessarily means they are more valuable than others. There are many factors to consider when thinking about the value of something, and when added up, I believe that the Lake Superior Agate is more valuable than other gemstones, like diamonds. The Lake Superior Agate is unique, beautiful, and scarce, all added up to make one valuable gemstone. The next time you are in Minnesota make sure to take a look around any rocks you may come across. There might be a rock in there worth thousands of dollars.        

References

Reed, J. (2020). GeologyPage. Types of Agates: What are the Different Types of Agates?

Retrieved July 29, 2020

Rosen, S. I., (2018). International Gem Society. Are Diamonds Really Rare? Diamond Myths

and Misconceptions. Retrieved July 30, 2020.

 Wolter, S. F. (1988). The Minnesota Volunteer. The Lake Superior Agate. Retrieved July 30,

2020.