The most colorful gemstones on Earth - Jeff Dekofsky
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TEDEd Animation
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In November 1986, Australian miners climbed Lunatic Hill and bored 20 meters into the Earth. They were rewarded with a fist-sized, record breaking gemstone, which they named the Hailey’s Comet opal. Thanks to a characteristic called “play of color,” no two opals look the same. So what causes these vibrant displays? Jeff Dekofsky digs into the rock’s shimmering, dancing displays of light.
Australian opal formed largely due to the evaporation of a large, ancient, inland sea that covered much of the continent. What are some other geological conditions that you think MIGHT potentially lead to opal formation?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Jeff Dekofsky
- Director Ivana Bošnjak, Thomas Johnson Volda
- Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
- Sound Designer Spencer Ward
- Music Salil Bhayani
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Script Editor Emma Bryce
- Fact-Checker Jennifer Nam
