Rainforest rhyolite is a green and cream volcanic rock, often sold as rainforest jasper. It is not a jasper. We do not carry it.
Rock (volcanic) · Rhyolite
Rainforest Rhyolite
Riolita selva tropical
- Palette
- Green White Brown
- Mined in
- Australia
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.0–6.5 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1860
- Named for
- Greek rhyax, a stream of lava, for the rock type
- Also sold as
- rainforest jasper, green rhyolite, spherulitic rhyolite
- Intention
- Strength New Beginnings
- Looking for
- Confidence and self-worth Change and decisions Goals and motivation
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Rainforest rhyolite is a volcanic rock sold as natural and usually not dyed. Ask if a strand looks unusually green.
Not in our pieces now
800-1,000 °C
Rhyolite lava erupts at only 800 to 1,000 °C, cooler than basalt lava at 1,100 to 1,200 °C, yet it is far stickier.
40+ PITS
The Carbaugh Run rhyolite quarry in Pennsylvania has forty or more pits, one of the largest rhyolite quarry sites in the state.
NORMAN KEEFER
Norman Keefer found the Carbaugh Run rhyolite quarry site in Pennsylvania in the 1920s.
What it is
Rainforest rhyolite is an opaque, fine-grained volcanic rock in mottled green and cream, sometimes with brown or red patches and small round spherules. It is often sold as 'rainforest jasper', but it is a rhyolite, not a jasper.
Where it comes from
Rainforest rhyolite comes from the Mount Hay area of Queensland, Australia, an extinct volcano that erupted about 120 million years ago.
In history
Rhyolite has been a toolmaker's stone for thousands of years: Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands quarried it for spear points and arrowheads, and a Pennsylvania site in Adams County was mined starting about 11,500 years ago. The rock was named in 1860 by the German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen, from the Greek for 'a stream of lava'.
What's said about it
It has no old tradition of its own. Today it is thought of as a stone for self-worth, steady handling of change and reaching for goals.
It comes from Australia and is said to be the remains of an old volcano.
People wear it as a bracelet or keep it in a pocket.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, rainforest rhyolite is paired with the root and heart chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want confidence and self-worth, change and decisions, goals and motivation, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Heart
ZodiacAquarius, Gemini, Sagittarius
ElementFire
Also calledrainforest jasper, green rhyolite, spherulitic rhyolite
Care
- Fairly hard for a rock, but not as tough as quartz; avoid hard knocks.
- Clean with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, then dry.
- Keep it apart from harder stones such as quartz, which can scratch it.
- Polish is stable; avoid harsh cleaners and ultrasonic cleaners if the bead has hairline cracks.
How to tell what you have
- Rainforest rhyolite or rainforest jasper is a trade name for rhyolite, a volcanic rock, in mossy green and brown mixed with cream.
- True jasper is finer grained and more uniform. Rhyolite shows tiny crystals and spots; dyed green stone shows color pooling at the drill hole.
Questions people ask at our table
What is rainforest rhyolite?
It is a fine-grained, silica-rich volcanic rock in green and cream, often with small round spherules. It formed from lava that cooled at the surface.
Is it a jasper?
No. It is sold as rainforest jasper, but jasper is a chalcedony-type quartz and this is a rhyolite. The two look alike, which is why the name stuck.
Is it natural or dyed?
The pattern is natural. Bright, uniform green beads can be dyed, so look for the uneven mottling of the real rock.
Where does it come from?
Stones sold under this name are sold as coming from Mount Hay in Queensland, Australia, an old volcano. Other sources simply say Australia.
Do you carry it?
We do not. For green earthy stones, we carry moss agate, tree agate, kiwi jasper and green spot jasper.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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