Fossilized Coral, gorgeous ancient beauty

Agatized fossil coral can exhibit a wide range of natural colors, ranging from white and pink to brown, gray, black, yellow and red. Corals may vary widely within a single stone depending on weathering and oxidation and the original mineral content.

It is important that people understand "fossil coral" is a natural stone formed from ancient corals. It should not be mistaken for protected and endangered coral reef from the modern oceans of today. Of the varieties of fossilized corals found throughout the geologic record, exquisitely detailed specimens from the mountains of Indonesia are most unique and beautiful.

Corals have been growing in the oceans around the world for almost 500 million years. The corals thrived in warm shallow marine waters and over time were buried in sediments as the land surface was juggled by crustal plate movements or the oceans rose and fell. Temperature and pressure from compaction during burial, resulted in those deposits, in time, becoming rock and part of the present day geological record.

The oldest fossil corals are from the Ordovican period, over 450 million years ago. Corals are marine animals with a sac-like body, mouth, tentacles and skeleton. It is the skeleton that survives in the fossil record. Corals may be solitary or found in large colonies.

Decorative coraline limestone and marble are popular building materials and have been used for centuries.For many years, ancient coral deposits have been mined for their high quality calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium content which is used in health supplements. Fossil coral has also been used in fertilizers. Fossil coral has even been used in filters to remove impurities such as chlorine and formaldehyde from water. Ornate coral pieces are also sought by fossil collectors or used in beads and other jewelry.

Silurian age (390 million year old) horn corals from Utah are prized for fine definition and brilliant red color. Geodes formed by partial replacement or casts of coral heads by low temperature chalcedonic or opaline silica are found in Florida. Florida has even declared fossil coral to be the "Florida State Rock". The shapes and colors of these specimens from the Tampa Bay region, in north Florida and southern Georgia are unique. They are associated with Tertiary rock formations of 20 to 25 million years in age.

Agate, also known as chalcedony, is a type of cryptocrystalline quartz or silicon dioxide. Under unique geological conditions, prehistoric corals and mollusks can fossilize by being replaced with agate from silica-rich ground water percolating through limestone.

Of the varieties of fossilized corals found throughout the world exquisitely detailed specimens from the mountains of Indonesia are among the most unique. In Indonesia, entire coral heads are often completely preserved and appear just as they did 20 million years ago, although their density is much changed by replacement with silica, iron, manganese and other minerals. There are fern corals, brain corals, hex corals, honeycomb corals and many more.

Silicification of Paleozoic Era corals such as the Devonian age (416 to 359 million years ago) "Petosky Stone" of the Lake Michigan region (FIGURE 3) or on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, are attributed to the large amount of siliceous sponges which flourished in the ancient warmer shallow waters. The sponges represent a likely source of mobile silica in the sedimentary pile. As the sponges decomposed, the silica was freed to replace the carbonate rich coral skeletons. Specimens are dominantly gray colored and exhibit a hexagonal pattern typical of primitive coral species.

Florida and Georgia in the USA are also import sources of fossil coral. In fact Florida has eclared fossil coral to be the Florida State Rock.

Fossil coral pieces are sought by gemstone and fossil collectors around the world. as well as being used in beads and other jewelry. Since agate is fairly hard (7 on the Mohs scale) and very durable, fossil coral is suitable for all kinds of jewelry.

Agatized coral can be the fossilized remains of many species of corals which have been replaced by agate, a variety of quartz chalcedony. It takes a very long time to form, and most of the agatized coral found today in the state lived in the vast Eocene seas which covered the state 35-40 million years ago, when Florida was part of the continental shelf.

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