The mist drifts slowly over the lake, and the water and sky are the same color in the distance. A few koi carp swim in the shallow bottom, and birds play among the blue waves. When mentioning lakes, such a beautiful picture may come to everyone’s mind. If the bottom of the lake were covered with colorful agate jade, then this place would probably be a paradise for stone lovers. There are only two places in the world that can be called agate lakes. An agate in one of them is worth more than 130 million yuan. What kind of rich lake is this?
Lake Superior in North America is one such lake. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. At this point, some friends may raise objections. Didn’t you say in the article you wrote earlier that Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake? Yes, Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world, and Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in area. There is no contradiction between the two. One is the largest in area, and the other is the largest in volume. Lake Baikal is the deepest freshwater lake in the world, and its water storage capacity ranks first among all lakes in the world.
Lake Superior was discovered by a French explorer in 1622 and is currently owned by the United States and Canada. The length of the lake is 616km from east to west, and the widest point from north to south is 257km. The average altitude of the lake is 180 meters, and the deepest point is 405 meters. The total water storage capacity is 12,000 cubic kilometers, and the lake shoreline is 3,000km. Let’s look at Lake Baikal. Its deepest point reaches 1,637 meters, its total water storage capacity is 23,600 cubic kilometers, and its total fresh water accounts for 1/5 of the world’s fresh water. Everyone will understand after a comparison. Today we focus on the agate of Lake Superior.
More than a billion years ago, crustal movements occurred in the North American continental plate, lava and magma spewed out, and water vapor and other gases formed a large number of bubbles. After the basalt is cooled, many holes are formed. The solution of silica enters these holes over the long history of the earth. At the same time, some metal elements are also integrated into it, such as iron, which is oxidized to form a colorant. Finally, the silica gel crystallizes to form beautiful agate. This is the initial formation of Lake Superior agate. Because of the different iron oxides, agate comes in red, yellow, white, brown, gray, tan and so on.
In 1969, Lake Superior agate was designated the official gemstone of the state of Minnesota. Lake Superior Agate is well protected and is only open to the public during the annual tourist season. During this period, an agate picking competition will be held. Tourists who pick up the best agate can enjoy official free processing. At the same time, the processed agate can be taken away by tourists as souvenirs.
Another Agate Lake is the Agate Lake in Inner Mongolia, located in the northwest desert of Bayin Gobi Sumu, Urad Rear Banner, Bayannur City . In the early days, this place was also a vast expanse of green and vast mist. Later, desertification became severe and the lake dried up, revealing the colorful agates at the bottom of the lake. The locals do not regard these inconspicuous stones as treasures. At worst, they pick up some beautiful ones and take them home to play with their children. How many agates were there at that time? In the words of the locals, if a camel walks on it accidentally, it will slip. In the 1980s, Agate Lake only attracted attention because of the arrival of Zhang Jing, a geological exploration expert.
In 1983, when Zhang Jing led the team members of the Yinshan Mining Company to inspect the Urad Hou Banner, they encountered a level 12 sandstorm on the way, and they had to spend the night in a low-lying place. When I woke up in the morning, the storm had passed. When I looked up, I saw a sea of ??agate. Raw agate stones weighing thousands of kilograms, desert lacquer, jasper, agates as small as a few grams, and crystals were everywhere. From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Zhang Jing had several trucks transporting various kinds of agate and jade from Agate Lake to various parts of the country. After CCTV reports and local news media reports, collectors from all over the country rushed to Inner Mongolia Agate Lake.
By the early 1990s, lovers of rare stones and jade from all over the country came in droves to buy a large number of agate stones picked up by locals at low prices. Soon Agate Lake was gone in name only, leaving only a bare yellow sand.
Among the fine agates collected by Mr. Zhang Jing is a small agate stone weighing 92 grams. This agate stone has a lifelike appearance, resembling a chick hatching, so it was named "Chicken Emerging". shell". In 2001, Mr. Zhang Jing donated all the rare stones and agates including "Chicken Out of the Shell" to the country. After notarization by the Municipal Notary Office, the Chaoyang District Government accepted Mr. Zhang's donation in accordance with the law, totaling 1,066 square meters of fine stones and agates. 531 boxes of strange desert rocks. After appraisal by experts from relevant countries, the "Chicken Out of the Shell" stone was valued at 130 million yuan.
The strange stone in "Chicken Out of the Shell" has always been controversial, but the impact and benefits brought by this strange stone are also very huge. It is one of the four strange stones and a representative of the strange stones in the desert. Since then, it has led the upsurge in the collection of strange stones in China, and has also enabled the gradual discovery of strange stones and jade in many places across the country. At present, Inner Mongolia Agate Lake has been included in the protection scope of the country and has become a famous tourist attraction. In recent years, my country has made great achievements in desert control. I believe that in the near future, our descendants will definitely be able to see the rippling blue waves of Agate Lake. The desert control project will rejuvenate the currently dry Agate Lake and truly become the most beautiful Agate Lake in my country, comparable to Lake Superior.
I believe that the Four Great Stones, as benchmarks in the domestic stone industry, better guide stone lovers to appreciate and identify strange stones from the five aspects of quality, color, shape, pattern and rhyme. In this way, we can choose natural stones with more aesthetic value and collection value. Strange stones are the spirits of nature, the wonders of nature, and the precious wealth that nature has given to all mankind. While admiring the strange rocks, we must protect the natural environment. After all, green mountains and clear waters are the most valuable asset. I am Huizi Shichi, and I promote the culture of strange stones and jade in our country. If you like my article, please pay attention to it.