Picture Jasper Slab DC818

Picture Jasper Slab
Approx. Weight: 408 grams
Approx. Dimensions: 6 x 4.5 x 0.5"
Includes free slab stand

Dendritic Siltstone is a sedimentary rock that formed from the silt present in ancient rivers and lakes. The colors of the siltstone depend on the minerals present in these bodies of water as they flow and trickle down into fissures in the layers of silt and limestone. Over millions of years, heat and pressure harden the silt and mineral deposits into rock.

The word dendrite is from the Greek 'dendron', which means 'tree'. Often mistaken as plant fossils, the dendrites within the stone are actually manganese oxide formations. Several varieties of manganese oxide dendrites exist, but typically dendrites from a particular location are made of a single type of manganese oxide.