GEM KNOWLEDGE · LABORATORY NOTES
Outback Jasper
Outback Jasper is the name used for this Australian material, with contrasting brown, gray, and patterned areas.
Tested specimens: Sample 1571 (#1 outback jasper) · Report completed: June 2, 2026.
Key finding: The material is typical of jasper. The researcher considers replacement of rhyolite a likely origin, supported by the aluminum content and traces of potassium.
Locality: Australia, according to Soul Body Gems sourcing information.
What the colors reveal
The dark brown area of the heart-shaped specimen had the highest iron content (6.1 wt.%); its gray area had the lowest (0.25 wt.%). The elongated specimen was compositionally intermediate, with 2.32 wt.% iron. These are measurements of the submitted specimens.
View the original test results
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These results are the property of Soul Body Gems, Alexander Falster, and the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. Any mention requires full acknowledgment.
Read the report findings and table as text
Sample 1571 (#1 outback jasper), submitted by Soul Body Gems, completed June 2, 2026. A Bruker Titan X-ray fluorescence spectrometer operated at 10, 25, and 50 kV. A Bruker D2-Phaser X-ray diffractometer operated at 30 kV and 10 mA. Figure 1 shows a heart-shaped specimen and an elongated specimen, with an 8 cm maximum dimension.
| Element | Heart dark brown | Heart gray part | Elongated specimen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 1.63 | 2.81 | 1.97 |
| Calcium | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Iron | 6.1 | 0.25 | 2.32 |
| Manganese | 0.11 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| Potassium | 0.02 | nd | 0.02 |
| Silicon | 93.32 | 96.74 | 95.78 |
“nd” is retained from the original table. The dark brown portion of the heart-shaped specimen has the highest iron content; the gray portions have the lowest. The elongated specimen is compositionally intermediate. The material is typical for jasper. The researcher suggests that the jasper likely formed through replacement of rhyolite, supported by elevated aluminum and potassium traces. Page 2 contains the date and signature.
Read the original laboratory report as text
The following text and tables are transcribed from the original laboratory document. Figure captions identify the report images; the laboratory interpretations and limitations are preserved.
Laboratory report 1
Analytical Result Report
Sample id: 1571 (#1 outback jasper)
Submitted by: Soul Body Gems
Date completed: 6-2-2026
Operating conditions: A Bruker Titan X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used and operated at 10, 25 and 50 kV.
A Bruker D2-Phaser X-ray diffractometer was also used and operated at 30 kV and 10 mA.
Fig. 1: Photograph of the specimens. 8 cm maximum dimension.
Table 1: Major and minor elemental composition of the material, in wt. %.
| Heart dark brown | Heart gray part | Elongated specimen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 1.63 | 2.81 | 1.97 |
| Calcium | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Iron | 6.1 | 0.25 | 2.32 |
| Manganese | 0.11 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| Potassium | 0.02 | nd | 0.02 |
| Silicon | 93.32 | 96.74 | 95.78 |
Summary of findings: These are interesting specimen2 (Fig. 1). The dark brown portion in the heart-shaped specimen has the highest iron content and the lowest iron content is in the gray portions (Table 1). The elongated specimen is composionally intermediate between the two areas of the heart-shaped one. The material is typical for jasper. It is likely that this jasper formed from replacement of rhyolite, the elevated aluminum and potassium traces support this assumption.
Date: 6-2-2026 Signature