23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Energy, Nikon B500

This is rock crystal in chert, a sedimentary micro silicate similar to flint. It was found in Girard, GA, in an area that was once 400 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Diatoms and other organisms that had silica shells fell to the bottom and over time with pressure and heat via plate tectonics transformed into chert.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Girard, Georgia, United States of America
Camera: COOLPIX B500
Copyright: © David Robinson