Green Agate is a variety of cryptocrystalline quartz often colored by trace amounts of chromium, nickel, or chlorite inclusions. It typically exhibits characteristic banded or layered patterns and is commonly found as cavity fillings in basaltic or volcanic rocks.
Is this green agate?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch green agate with a known reference. Green Agate sits at Mohs 6.5-7 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Green Agate leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Green Agate typically shows a waxy luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, light green, dark green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: botryoidal, massive, nodular.
Often confused with
Green Agate vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside green agate
Minerals reported to co-occur with green agate. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5-7
- Density
- 2.6-2.65 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Waxy
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Botryoidal, Massive, Nodular
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Lapidary, Decorative, Collector
- Host rock
- Volcanic Cavities and Hydrothermal Veins
- Typical price
- $5-30 for rough or polished specimens
Where rockhounds find green agate
3 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Brazil
- India
- USA
- Uruguay
- Madagascar
Field-hunting tip
Look in volcanic cavities and hydrothermal veins country — that is the host setting where green agate typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, calcite, zeolites in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a botryoidal, massive, nodular habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Idaho, Rhode Island, Vermont — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify green agate?+
Where is green agate found?+
Can I find green agate in the United States?+
How much is green agate worth?+
What rocks look like green agate?+
What minerals are found with green agate?+
What kind of rock does green agate form in?+
What is green agate used for?+
Find green agate on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
