Quartz var. Youngite

specimen number:
2292447

location:
Guernsey, Wyoming, USA

description:
A large fine example of what many call youngite, the sparkling microscopic quartz across a breccia matrix. Incredibly fluorescent. In good condition.

The Guernsey area of Platte County, Wyoming, is situated within a region characterized by Precambrian crystalline basement rock overlain by Paleozoic sedimentary deposits, including the Guernsey Formation. The geological history is marked by ancient karstic processes where carbonate rocks were dissolved and later filled by various minerals. "Youngite" is a term used by local collectors to describe a specific, brecciated agate or jasper found in these limestone cavities. It is essentially a conglomerate of brecciated quartz, agate, and drusy crystals cemented together by later-stage chalcedony. Historically, this material gained recognition among rockhounds in the mid-twentieth century for its unique aesthetic and its tendency to fluoresce a bright yellow-green under ultraviolet light, which is caused by the presence of inclusions such as uranium salts within the matrix.

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