Bright Red Jasper!

This rock appears to be a form of jasper, specifically a variety known as "picture jasper" or "red jasper" with inclusions. Here's why:

Color: The dominant red and brown hues are typical of jasper. Jasper is often red due to iron(III) inclusions.

Texture and Appearance: Jasper usually has a smooth fracture surface and can be highly polished. The rock in the image looks somewhat glossy, which might be due to natural or applied polish.

Inclusions and Patterns: The rock shows some banding or inclusion patterns that can resemble landscapes or pictures, which are characteristic of picture jasper. These patterns are formed from different layers of minerals deposited over time.

Hardness: Jasper is a variety of chalcedony, which is a type of quartz, making it quite hard (around 7 on the Mohs scale).

Properties of Jasper:

Durability: Due to its hardness, jasper is often used in jewelry, carvings, and as a gemstone.

Luster: When polished, jasper can have a vitreous to dull luster.

Transparency: It is typically opaque, though some varieties can be slightly translucent at the edges.

Uses:

Decorative: Often used for ornamental items due to its colors and patterns.

Metaphysical: Believed by some to have grounding and stabilizing properties; used in various forms of alternative healing.

Formation:

Jasper forms through the consolidation of silica-rich solutions in cavities and fractures within rocks, often in volcanic environments. The iron content gives it its distinctive colors.