3.26" Agatized Fossil Coral From Florida - Florida

This is a beautiful 3.26" long specimen of agatized coral from the Basin Deposits of North Florida. This fossil coral is Miocene (25-32 million years) in age, and was formed when fine sediments covered shallow coral reefs. As silica rich groundwater through the rock that was formed (and exposed as sea-levels dropped), it replaced the calcium carbonate skeleton of the coral with Chalcedony. There are a number of types of fossil coral present, but given the replacement destroys much of the original detail, more specific identification is difficult.

This specimen is a translucent tan color. The chalcedony has crystallized in the botryoidal habit.