Septarian
concretion: calcite + aragonite + limestone/mudstone (+ barite)
A mud concretion that formed around decaying organic matter on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside out, and then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. Utah's Bear Lake region supplies most of the commercial material. People carry it for grounding, communication and boundaries.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
This one does not go in water. It dissolves.
Mineral facts
Hardness
3-4 Mohs
Formula
CaCO3 + clay/mudstone matrix
Family
rock (aggregate)
Where it comes from
USA (Utah, Bear Lake, Orderville), Madagascar, Morocco, New Zealand, England (Dorset)
What it is
A mud concretion that formed around decaying organic matter on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside out, and then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. Utah's Bear Lake region supplies most of the commercial material. The trade calls it dragon stone; geologists call it a septarian concretion, from the Latin for partition.
What it is confused with
picture-jasper, petrified-wood, brecciated-jasper, dragon-blood-stone, concretion
A grey-to-brown mudstone nodule cracked internally into an angular jigsaw of wedges, with every crack filled by honey-yellow crystalline calcite and often lined with a dark brown or white aragonite rind, producing a network of golden veins radiating from the centre and widening outward. The vein pattern is angular and polygonal, like dried mud or a cracked turtle shell, not swirled or banded. Calcite fills flash with rhombohedral cleavage surfaces. Soft: a knife cuts the calcite easily.
How to tell
Angular polygonal crack-fill geometry with soft yellow calcite in the veins. Vinegar on a vein fizzes (calcite), do this on an inconspicuous edge only, as it etches. Far softer than any jasper: 3, 4 versus 6.5, 7.
Generally untreated, though slabs are sometimes stabilised. Some pieces are shoe-polished or oiled to deepen the dark matrix.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Septarian is a rock (aggregate), 3-4 on the Mohs scale, and it is the stone traditionally carried when the problem is proximity rather than intensity.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Septarian for every sign
Aries
It broke first and healed afterwards, in that order, very slowly.
A mud concretion from a Cretaceous seafloor that dried and cracked from the inside out, then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. The trade calls it dragon stone. It broke first and healed afterwards, in that order, very slowly.
Taurus
The trade calls it dragon stone.
A mud concretion from a Cretaceous seafloor that dried, cracked from the inside out, then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. Utah's Bear Lake region supplies most of it. Geologists call it a septarian concretion. The trade calls it dragon stone.
Gemini
It cracked from the inside and the cracks got filled.
A mud concretion that formed around something decaying on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried out, cracked from the inside, then had every crack filled with yellow calcite. Septarian comes from the Latin for partition. It is soft, so vinegar eats the veins and water dulls the rest.
Cancer
It cracked from the inside and something filled it.
It formed as mud around something decaying on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, and cracked from the inside outward. Every one of those cracks was then filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. It is soft enough that vinegar eats the veins, so keep it out of the kitchen.
Leo
It broke first. The gold arrived long afterward.
Septarian comes from the Latin for partition, which is more accurate than dragon stone. A mud concretion formed on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside outward, and then had every crack filled with honey-yellow calcite over millions of years. It broke first. The gold arrived afterward.
Virgo
It cracked from the inside out, then filled itself in.
A mud concretion that dried on a Cretaceous seafloor, cracked from the inside outward, then had every crack filled with honey calcite over millions of years. The vein network is angular and polygonal like dried mud. It is soft at 3 to 4, so acids eat the veins and water dulls the polish.
Libra
It cracked from the inside and the cracks filled in.
A mud concretion that formed on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside out, then had every crack filled with honey calcite over millions of years. The vein pattern is angular and polygonal, like dried mud. Geologists name it from the Latin word for partition.
Scorpio
It broke from the inside. The veins are the repair.
A mud concretion that formed around decaying organic matter on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried out, cracked itself apart from the inside, then had every crack filled with honey calcite over millions of years. Utah supplies most of it. The trade calls it dragon stone.
Sagittarius
It cracked from the inside out, then filled every crack.
A mud concretion that formed around decaying matter on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside out, then had every crack filled with yellow calcite. Utah's Bear Lake region supplies most of it. The trade calls it dragon stone and geologists call it a concretion.
Capricorn
It cracked from the inside, then filled every crack.
A mud concretion that formed around something decaying on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried out, cracked from the inside, then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. The trade calls it dragon stone. Geologists call it a septarian concretion, from the Latin for partition.
Aquarius
The gold veins widen in the direction the cracking travelled.
A mud concretion that formed around something decaying on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside outward, and then had every crack filled with yellow calcite. The gold veins widen in the direction the cracking travelled. Do not wash it.
Pisces
It cracked from the inside outward and then filled in.
A ball of Cretaceous seafloor mud that formed around something rotting, dried, cracked from the inside outward, and then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years. The mudstone crumbles if soaked, so keep it dry. The trade calls it dragon stone.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
earth
Planet
Saturn
Chakra
root, solar-plexus
Signs
taurus, capricorn, scorpio
What tradition says
In crystal lore, septarian is associated with grounding, group communication and the mending of what has broken, an attribution read directly from a stone that literally cracked and healed.
Care
- Do not put this one in water. It dissolves or spalls. Dust it dry.
- Salt scratches it. Do not bury it in salt.
- Carbonate-rich and soft: acids dissolve the veins, water dulls the polish, and the mudstone matrix can soften and crumble when soaked. Dry cloth only.
Common questions
What does septarian mean?
Septarian is carried for grounding, communication and boundaries. A mud concretion that formed around decaying organic matter on a Cretaceous seafloor, dried, cracked from the inside out, and then had every crack filled with yellow calcite over millions of years.. Tradition links it to the root, solar-plexus chakra.
Is septarian real or fake?
Septarian is not faked often, but it is still worth checking. Angular polygonal crack-fill geometry with soft yellow calcite in the veins. Vinegar on a vein fizzes (calcite), do this on an inconspicuous edge only, as it etches.. Generally untreated, though slabs are sometimes stabilised.
Can septarian go in water?
No. Septarian dissolves or spalls in water. Dust it dry instead of soaking it, and keep it out of salt.
Common · mustard yellow calcite, grey-brown matrix, white to brown aragonite, black
Where this leads
This stone belongs to
FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works