Description: Agatized Coral from Florida State Marine Fossil • Botryoidal Interior Collecting Location & Age: Designated the official stone of Florida in 1979, these fossils are roughly 38-25 million years old and come from the Oligocene-Miocene period. Agatized coral is found in three main Florida locations: Tampa Bay, the Econfina River, and the Withlacoochee/Suwannee river beds and It is no longer permissible to collect specimens on public lands so they are getting harder and harder to find. Preservation & Appearance: Coral is the outside skeleton of tiny ocean animals called polyps. These marine invertebrates live in colonies that are attached to hard underwater surfaces like rocks and sunken ships. When they are alive, polyps produce carbon dioxide which combines with the lime in warm seawater to form a limestone-like surface that is called coral. They basically build their own houses. Agatized corals are found in ancient ocean beds, where silica rich groundwater has percolated through them and over time. When this happens it replaces the calcium carbonate skeleton with a hard variety of quartz called chalcedony. This long process (taking upward of 20-30 million years) results in the formation of a “pseudomorph,” meaning that one mineral has replaced another without having lost its original form. The by-product is an ornamental fossil with a sometimes banded stone look. Corals are found in a variety of colors- white, gray, brown, black, yellow and red and it basically comes down to what minerals were present in the water when the corals were formed. Quite often you will find grape-like bumps inside the coral where the chalcedony has replaced the coral. The term for these “grapes” in the mineral world is botryoidal. Satisfaction Guaranteed: We strive to provide you with the highest quality material, timely service and polite customer service. If we have fallen short in any of these categories please contact us prior to providing feedback so that we may attempt to meet your needs.
Price: 21.05 USD
Location: Sandy, Utah
End Time: 2024-10-16T03:41:23.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.95 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Modification Description: Cut & Polished
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Modified Item: Yes
California Prop 65 Warning: n/a
