This post will give you information about the Agate Crystal and where to fid them in the UK
Agate crystals are beautiful and unique. They can be found in many different places across the United Kingdom. Here are some of the best places to find them while out rock hounding:
So what is an agate crystal?
Agates are a variety of chalcedony, which is a cryptocrystalline form of silica. The word “chalcedony” comes from the Greek word for ‘milk’ because agates were thought to be formed from the milk of sea gods. Agate forms in a process called metamorphism, which happens when rocks become molten (melting) and then turn into new minerals by being pushed into other rocks while they cool off (crystallize). This can happen over millions of years at very high temperatures and pressures deep underground.
credit: Shutterstock.com / Peyker
Agate crystals form inside veins in these types of rocks as well as volcanic ash layers, where they get buried deep underground with other minerals like quartz or mica that help hold them together during their formation process.
How is the agate crystal formed?
Agates are formed when water seeps into the cavities of volcanic rocks. The water then deposits silica into the cracks, where it builds up to create a compact stone. Agate formation can be accelerated if there’s natural radiation present in the area or if there has been any interaction between agate and uranium or radium.
Agates are found all over the world, but they’re particularly prevalent throughout Africa and Europe (including England).
Coastlines are your best bet to find the agate crystal
Your best bet is to search along the coastline. Agate deposits are found in the same places around the world, so if you find an agate-rich area on your coastline, chances are it’s an agate-rich area on ours.
Agates can be found along most of our coastline and in many other places as well—just keep your eyes open for anything that looks like a stone with patterns inside it!
image credit Shutterstock.com / Alexey Fedorenko
Cornwall
Cornwall is a county in the southwest of England, with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known for its beautiful beaches and rugged cliffs which attract tourists from all over the world.
Cornwall is also a very popular place for rock hunting. The area has many different types of rocks available to be collected, including agate crystals. There are several different locations where you can find agates here in Cornwall:
- [Poldhu Beach] (near Camborne)
- [Carbis Bay] (near Hayle)
East Coast of Scotland
Agate crystals are found throughout the UK, but there are areas where they’re more common. The East Coast of Scotland is the region best known for its large deposits of agate crystals, particularly between Perth and Stonehaven, in north Fife and in Ayrshire. This is the most famous of locations to find agate crystals, particularly Scottish blue agate.
Dorset
Dorset is a county in the southwest of England. It is known for its beautiful coastline and its excellent natural beauty, with many coastal areas, forests and fields being open to the public. This makes it a great place to go rock hunting or fossil hunting.
In addition to being a great place to find agate crystals, Dorset can also be an excellent place to find other types of stones such as quartz crystal, jasper and amethyst geodes. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding these types of rocks!
See all our travel guides for Dorset here.
Avon
Avon is the longest river in England and flows through some of the most beautiful scenery in Britain. It starts at the confluence of two smaller rivers, one being a tributary of another tributary, in central Oxfordshire. From there, it meanders through central England, passing Stratford-upon-Avon and other historic towns before flowing into the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth near Bristol.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a stunningly beautiful place to visit, and if you’re lucky enough to be staying there, you’ll likely see agate nodules and geodes lining the beaches. Agates are found in the form of nodules or geodes (semi-spherical concretions) within rocks that have been eroded by wind and rain. This means that they can be found on any beach where the right conditions exist for their formation—which means most places along England’s south coast!
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south-eastern Wales. It’s bordered by the Welsh counties of Caerphilly, Gwent, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Newport and Herefordshire.
The Agate Crystal can be found throughout the UK
Agate crystals are not just found in the United States. In fact, they can be found throughout the UK and Ireland. According to the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), agate crystals are formed in a variety of ways:
- Igneous activity – The Scottish Highlands, for example, contain numerous lava flows that formed 12 million years ago. Over time, these rocks were eroded by wind and water to reveal large deposits of agates within them that were later exposed by geological processes such as erosion or uplift.
- Sedimentary activity – These sediments include silica-rich muds, which harden into layers known as siltstones when they dry out and form horizontally-bedded rock formations called “flagstone”. This type of sedimentary rock is often used as a building material because it weathers nicely over time due to its chemical makeup; therefore providing a durable material with which builders can work without having to worry about structural integrity issues down the road (as long as proper building codes are followed).
We hope this article has given you a better insight into the world of Agate crystals. We think they’re beautiful and fascinating, so if you’re looking for something to add to your collection, why not start with an agate crystal?
