The following treasure is from the living estate of Ailene & Buddy Ford; noted dealers and lifelong collectors of valuable antique & vintage heirlooms. The AEAA is extremely proud to showcase this dynamically large & brilliantly handsome deep Amethyst & beige Quartzite sedimentary Geode most likely from the Warsaw Formation in the central USA. Our example is Exceptionally RARE, as the gasses and feed water, over tens of thousands of years, were divergent enough to carve a dual cavity, which for lack of a better term, will call it a shelter Geode. If you watch the Alaskan and Naked & Afraid shows on TV, the enclosed beige silica rich quartz appears to be a well constructed shelter or a safe haven cave, with the myriad Amethyst starry sky above. There is no way that our photos can do justice to this incredible mineral formation, most likely around a million years old. Our fantastic Geode stands almost 17 inches tall x 20 inches wide, 8 inches deep, and weighs in at a hefty 55#. xxxxxxxxxxx. Geodes are geological secondary structures which occur in certain sedimentary and volcanic rocks. They are themselves of sedimentary origin formed by chemical precipitation. Geodes are essentially hollow, vaguely spheroid to oblate masses of mineral matter that form via either of two processes:by the filling of vesicles (gas bubbles) in volcanic to sub-volcanic rocks by minerals deposited from hydrothermal fluids orby the dissolution of sedimentary nodules or concretions (that were deposited syngenetically within the rock formations in which they are found) and partial filling by the same or other minerals precipitated from diagenetic water, groundwater or hydrothermal fluids. Geodes differ from vugs in that the former were formed as early, rounded, structures within the surrounding rock and are often removed intact, whereas vugs are irregularly shaped pockets, voids or cavities within a formation, often along a vein or in breccia. Geodes also differ from nodules in that a nodule is a mass of mineral matter that has accreted around the nodule nucleus. Both structures had the minerals contained within, deposited from groundwater or hydrothermal processes. Geodes commonly have a chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) shell lined internally by various minerals, often as crystals, particularly calcite, pyrite, kaolinite, sphalerite, millerite, barite, celestite, dolomite, limonite, smithsonite, opal, chalcedony and macrocrystalline quartz, which is by far the most common and abundant mineral found in geodes. Geodes are found mostly in basaltic lavas and limestones. The Warsaw Formation in the Keokuk region near the area where Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois join contains abundant geodes. Which minerals end up as crystals in a geode varies by location and conditions such as temperature, acidity, and the type of rock the geode forms from. For instance, quartz crystals are most common in igneous geodes. Silica is more common in geodes that form in sediment.Many other minerals can be found inside geodes, too. Geodes found in Brazilian quarries host soapstone and several kinds of quartz, while geodes from central Spain are filled with gold-laced hematite (the stone they use to make that magnetic jewelry). Many of these minerals, in addition to others including dolomite, calcite, and Iron Pyrite, (fools gold) have been found among the geodes in America’s Midwest.Such mineral crystallization forges a rock fit to cut in half, polish and use as bookends. Not all geodes, however, are the perfect size to corral books. Some are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or to catch the light while perched on your windowsill. At the other end of the scale, the largest gypsum crystals, from a cave in Naica, Mexico, have grown up to 36 feet long.But enormous geodes are not unique to Mexico—according to Harlow, the geodes in the Paraná Basin of South America are also large enough for people to hide in.

MM 14 - #188 Excellent condition