WE ARE CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK OF WHOLE THUNDEREGGS. ALL OF OUR EGGS HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF AND ARE AWAITING POLISHING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHSE A SET UP UNPOLISHED MATCHING HALVES, PLEASE EMAIL US WITH YOUR REQUEST. THANK YOU.
Thundereggs as seen in the “Thunderegg” section of this website are typically agate-filled nodules (spheres). They are typically found in Oregon, New Mexico, California and Colorado, however they can be found throughout various parts of the Western United States. The smallest thunderggs are around ¼”, but they come as large as 5’ with the standard size being about the size of an orange. The exteriors of the thundereggs are very similar, yet no two of the interiors are identical. The beauty of the inside of the thunderegg tells a story with the beautiful land and sea-scape like formations within them. Once they have been cut and polished they are highly prized specimens all over the world.
As legend has it, Thundereggs were names so by the Indians of Central Oregon. The natives believed the odd agate-filled stones were missiles thrown by angry, fighting “Thunder Spirits” or “Gods” who dwelt on Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood, typically snow-capped peaks of the Cascade Range. The Native Americans thought that when thunderstorms occurred the jealous gods hurled the round-shaped rocks at each other in furious anger. Thus, the Indians name of the Thunderegg was born and spread across Oregon.
The Thundereggs are found in layers of rhyolite lava flows, which spread over the land an estimated 60 million years ago. This was even before the Cascade Mountain Range was formed by the huge amount of stress pushing upward on the surface of the earth. Geologists estimate the round-shaped Thundereggs were formed in gas pockets, serving as molds, that were left in the lava flows of the Eocene Geological Age. Over the ages the gas cavities were gradually filled with water percolating through the porous rock formations. The water seeping into the cavities was rich in silica (quartz). This solution lined and filled many of the cavities starting with the darker layer on the outside and moving into the middle as a inner core of agate or chalcedony. The beautiful colors in the cores of the thundereggs were derived from varying minerals present in nearby soils. Over the years the rhyolite has decomposed leaving the hard agate-filled balls behind. Each thunderegg is holding a beautiful story just waiting to be told.
Our Thunder Eggs are available for purchase in their whole rough form, or as cut halves.
