Brockman tiger eye chert, Pilbara, WA

Collection Highlights | Updated 1 years ago

A polished slab of Brockman tiger eye chert from the Marra Mamba Iron Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia (2.4 m long). Donated by David Vaughan and Junko Matsuzaki. WA Museum specimen number R1.2019
A polished slab of Brockman tiger eye chert from the Marra Mamba Iron Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia (2.4 m long). Donated by David Vaughan and Junko Matsuzaki. WA Museum specimen number R1.2019
Pat Baker, WA Museum

This spectacular green banded chert (fine-grained quartz) formed on the seafloor at the same time as the Pilbara’s banded iron formations. The shimmering layers of golden-brown tiger eye are composed of fibrous quartz and amphibole that invaded the rock at a later stage. 

It is part of the Marra Mamba Iron Formation in the Hamersley Basin, Pilbara, Western Australia, and was deposited on the ancient sea floor some 2600 million years ago.

Rock Collection