The most colorful gemstones on Earth - Jeff Dekofsky
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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.
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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