COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF MINERAL INCLUSIONS WITHIN ENHYDRO AGATES

Our goal was to analyze an agate and note the structures within. We cut the agate in half with an electric saw and a chisel. What we found was an interesting needle-like structure within the agate that we wanted to analyze further. Using an electron microscope borrowed by Samantha Sumicas at West Chester university, we got close images of the structure along with a spectrum containing mainly oxygen and manganese. Both of these results can tell us the story of the agate and how it formed.