Five unusual rocks and minerals

Natural PYRITE SUN in ANTHRACITE COAL SHALE MATRIX

Always hard to believe, but this is the way the pyrite suns naturally form, and then are mined out of the coal mine in Sparta, Illinois. This is a high quality, shiny, dense shale found between the coal seams, in which just the right minerals, pressure, heat and water combine to grow the pyrite sun as you see here. You will receive exactly what you see in the photo.

Pyrite suns (also known as "fool's gold") were thought to be fossilized sand dollars or lily pads, when in fact they are pyrite crystals formed between layers of slate and coal, found deep in coal mines in Sparta (Randolph County), IL, 300 million years ago. A very difficult cleaning process unveils their hidden natural beauty. As the Illinois coal mines shut down one by one, these specimens will become more and more rare.

You will see drill bit marks in some of the shale matrix, these are not fossils but drill marks separating the shale.

DESERT ROSES

From Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. Found in a mine cavern are these glassy gypsum formations called "selenite". Crystals grow as opaque sand-filled crystal clusters with mica-like sheets. Clusters can be HUGE (room-sized) or just single ball rosettes. Under shortwave UV light, they fluoresce a bright cream color and are moderately phosphorescent, a good customer named Mike reports. Thanks, Mike! Gotta have one?

#R-560 5-1/2 x 3 x 3" tall, large roses, nice display

$25

#R-562 8 x 5 x 4" tall, small roses, beautiful display piece

$65

PICTURE JASPER
From Utah

#R-572. Picture Jasper (Utah) is 1 3/4 x 1 1/2 x 1", polished specimen is

$8.99

#R-573. Picture jasper (Utah) is 3" x 2" x 1/2", polished specimen is

$12.99.

#R-574. Two pieces of picture jasper - pendant material, perhaps? One is 1 3/8" x 3/4", the smaller is 1 1/8" x 3/4". Polished. Good fern pattern is naturally in the stone.

$8.00/set of 2

A great specimen of Picture Jasper (Idaho) from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC:

SEPTARIAN NODULE specimens

Septarian nodules are found 15 miles E of Zion National Park, Utah. They were formed in an ancient sea floor during the Cretaceous period, 50-70 million years ago when the Gulf of Mexico extended into Utah. On the ocean floor, mud formed around decomposed sea life. Rocking back and forth in the water caused mud balls. When the ocean receded, the mud balls dried and cracked open.

Over the eons to follow, mineralized solutions deposited in the cracks. First forming brown ARAGONITE, then golden CALCITE and occasionally BARITE clusters were formed within the cavities. The outside of the mud ball is now a gray limestone rock. As the nodules weathered out of the gray clay hills, at one time they could be picked up by hand on the surface. Now, excavating equipment is required for extraction, 20-40 feet underground.

The name "Septarian" is Latin "Septem" meaning seven. The mud balls cracked with seven points in every direction, creating a beautiful design. The fossil which started forming the Septarian nodule is sometimes noticeable in the rock. So, yellow center = Calcite, Brown lines = Aragonite, Gray rock = Limestone.

One side polished to a high sheen; these work well as coasters for the coffee table, or lovely display pieces

Priced as marked; these are 1/2" thick slabs