Recently I noticed a copper agate eye posted by Cory Just. It looked eerily familiar to me. Here is a scan and a photograph of my version. More images are at www.mudpot.com. I have written two books filled with pictures like these: Lake Superior Copper Agates and Copper Eye Agates.

Variations in these agate patterns continually amaze me. Here, quartz crystals fill a thick copper band. The purple-red appears to be cuprite. This thick band appears dark when scanned, because a polished copper surface is only bright when photographed at a specific angle. Areas with tiny copper particles are always bright. That so many quartz crystals fill a single copper band is a puzzle.

Many agate books such as Scott Wolter’s show people holding their prize agates. I feel like I should do the same thing, so here’s a self portrait with some of my beauties, taken from my shirt pocket. More examples are in my book, Tiny Lake Superior Agates.

Skip an atom agates are an uncommon variety of Lake Superior agates. Closeups of their crystal patterns like these have been used to help determine how they are formed. Details are in my July 2017 Rock & Gem magazine article, my book Skip an Atom Agates and at www.mudpot.com. I can also share information from my large database of these unusual agates in response to any questions.

Jack Hobart