A Geode Filled With Tar? How Can This Happen?

When most people think of geodes, they envision beautiful crystals glistening inside an unassuming rock. However, sometimes nature throws a curveball, presenting us with something entirely unexpected.

What happens when you take an ordinary looking geode, crack it open, and what you find isn’t beautiful crystals but a sticky, black substance resembling tar?

It’s a rare phenomenon, but it does happen occasionally. The black substance is called bitumen, a naturally occurring form of petroleum.

Bitumen is a viscous mixture of hydrocarbons and is more commonly associated with oil sands and asphalt, but it can also occur naturally in geological formations where organic deposits have been subjected to heat and pressure over geological time scales.

Bitumen is usually sticky, viscous, and has a distinct petroleum smell, and since its an oil based product it can be quite flammable.

How Bitumen Gets Inside Geodes

Geodes typically form in volcanic or sedimentary rocks through the deposition of minerals from hydrothermal fluids.

The formation of bitumen inside geodes likely involves the infiltration of hydrocarbon-rich fluids into these cavities at some point during or after their formation. Over time, these hydrocarbons may become trapped and eventually solidify into bitumen as the geode is sealed.

This process occurs in regions with significant petroleum deposits, where hydrocarbon rich fluids migrate through rock layers and fill cavities like those found in geodes.

Rare, But Not Unheard Of.

Geodes filled with bitumen are relatively rare but not unheard of. As mentioned earlier, they’re more commonly found in areas with rich petroleum geology.

But you should know that if you do come across a bitumen filled geode, there’s a few precautions to take. First, it will stain surfaces it comes into contact with, including your hands. So wear gloves. Second, it is flammable. So be sure to keep that in mind.