Enhydro Agate Meaning

A guide for the history, meaning, and properties of Enhydro Agate. Said to be a stone of...

Water Element | Earth Energy | Endurance

Enhydro agate is one of the most unique stones that we have in our store. If you own one, you can probably guess why. An enhydro crystal is not necessarily the same as a stone with a fluid inclusion. While, yes, water is a fluid inclusion, the term enhydro is generally reserved for geodes or nodules. More specifically, these contain far more water than the small amounts that one typically sees.

To start, this water is extremely old. Well, all water is extremely old, but you get what we mean. If you have a large enough piece that has enough water, you can feel or hear the water sloshing around. These types of agates are mostly hollow, which allows you to hear or feel that water really move inside.

Enhydro agate, despite the name, sometimes includes another liquid. What kind? Interestingly enough, petroleum. With a clear enough specimen, agate with petroleum can have a somewhat yellowish tint (as one might expect). We haven't had too much experience with it, but these specimens react well with UV light (though we do not encourage readers to actively use UV light, especially without protection).

When it comes to most liquid inclusions, water filters through during the crystal's growth and eventually gets trapped inside after a very long time. This is a very basic explanation. A more detailed once involves pits that form due to a crystal's growth rate, and over time, these pits get folded over when the crystal continues to grow, and as more layers build up, the water eventually gets trapped. Sometimes this may form small bubbles that get preserved in the crystal structure.

Other times, you have something like enhydros. You'll notice that we said "pit" and "bubbles," and this is a pretty big distinction, at least as far as crystals are concerned. Agate enhydros are typically quite hollow. So, how does so much water get trapped inside? Typically, this is because of flowing, silica-rich water that gets filtered through a volcanic rock. When this happens, we go back to that layer building process from the crystal. However, the key difference here is that these don't enter pits, and instead this water typically penetrates through a cavity. Of course, by now, the water has entered the crystal, and if the layers fold over the empty area, then we get that hollow area.

While enhydro geodes are some of the most popular, they are not the only specimens that have water trapped inside. In fact, they aren't too uncommon. Fluid inclusions are a well-known phenomena with a lot of science behind it. But we can take a look at another mineral, enhydro quartz.

As one might guess, there are similarities. Quartz is an extremely common mineral, so we aren't too surprised that a similar phenomena occurs with this little crystal. In short, both are pretty similar, and both can have the same kind of foreign material stuck inside. You'll have your usual water, certain types of gas, and other small solid objects. But both are known to have the occasional drops of petroleum inside. What makes petroleum enhydro quartz stand out is that you can see it far more clearly than you can with most specimens of agate. In particular, petroleum quartz has a distinct appearance under UV light that many people appreciate.

Because enhydro agate has unique properties, some believe that this stone has spiritual or metaphysical properties. Some believe that this type of agate has use in meditation that allows them to harness water elemental powers to clear blockages, remove stress, and allow them to be more in tune with earth. However, these claims are not based in science.

The Wrap Up

Enhydro agate is a pretty stone that is kind of cool. A lot of stones might have fluid inclusions, but not a lot of stones are enhydro. We're not sure why, but it is kind of fun to shake the stone around and feel or hear the water shifting around.

If you have these seem like your kind of thing, then be sure to check out or inventory, as we do have enhydros for sale.

Sources

AN INQUIRY INTO MICROORGANISMS CONTAINED IN ENHYDRO AGATE WATER: A GEOCHEMICAL AND GEOMICROBIOLOGICAL STUDY

https://www.gamineral.org/writings/enhydros-gray.html