OUMNH Number: | 761 |
---|---|
Name and quarry location: | Sicilian jasper, diaspro di Santa Cristina Gela, from Santa Cristina Gela, Palermo, Sicily, Italy |
Geological description: | Breccia of yellow-brown jasper clasts cemented by agate, with cavities infilled by colourless quartz crystals. The whole rock has been heavily fractured, and recemented with quartz or with brown to black iron/manganese oxides, which also emanate as dendrites from fractures. A wide vein of granular orange calcite crosses the back of the specimen. |
Comments: | Santa Cristina Gela, Province of Palermo, is most probably correct. Jervis (1881, 1889) descibes 'agates' with patches of these colours. An agate with a dark ground and off- white and yellowish marks from 'S. Cristina nella piana de' Greci' is described by Tata (1772), also seems to match this specimen. |
References: | Jervis (1881) 209; Jervis (1889) 453; Montana & Briuccia (1998); Price (2007) 246-247; Schmidt (2002); Tata (1772) 31 |
Further information: |
|
Corsi's classification: | Class 14. Quartz and its varieties; Species 6. Jasper; ii. Italian jaspers |
---|---|
Corsi's text: | 188.14 Diaspro di S.Cristina... di Sicilia |