Agates of the Teufelskanzel Near Oberthal, Saarland, Germany

The “Teufelskanzel” (Devil’s Pulpit), a rhyolitic promontory at Oberthal about 30 km (20 miles) southwest of Idar-Oberstein, is one of the many small agate deposits of the Nahe-Saar Basin. A failed first attempt to mine the agates in 1882 was followed by rather chaotic rockhound activities and the equally unsuccessful decision by the community of Oberthal to take over all mining activities. Finally, digging for agates was generally prohibited, a ban that is still in force.
 

The agates generally formed as thunder eggs. They show a very beautiful coloration and often bizarre, picturesque forms that inspire the imagination of the beholder. Many also display a strong green long-wave UV fluorescence, supposedly due to uranyl ions.
 

The beauty of the agates and their fluorescence are illustrated by a range of color photos.