Agate - Agate is a chalecedony quartz that forms in concentric layers in a wide variety of colors and textures. Each individual agate forms by filling a cavity in host rock. As a result, agate often is found as a round nodule, with concentric bands like the rings of a tree trunk.
Amber - Amber is a 28-54 million year old fossil, which has formed from conifer tree resin (tree sap). Insects that were unfortunate enough to get caught in the resin (sap) were preserved for millions of years.
Amethyst - Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz. It is found in colors ranging from pale lilac to deep purple.
Ammonite - Ammonites are extinct predatory marine mollusks that died out about 65 million years ago. Ammonites were cephalopods and are related to squid, octopus and chambered nautilus.
Arizona Rainbow Petrified Wood
Arizona Sandstone - Arizona sandstone formed 180 to 225 million years ago by wind and water at the base of the geological formation "Shinarump". The colors and design were induced by a mineral spring containing iron oxides.
Coprolite (Fossilized Dinosaur Dung) - Coprolites are fossil excrata and give a clue to the diet of ancient animals. These lumpy fossils are usually associated with land animals of the past 50 million years.
Fish Fossil - The most common fish fossil is Knightia, a type of herring. It probably fed mostly on algae and zooplankton, making it a primary to secondary consumer.
Fossilized Shark Tooth - Fossilized shart teeth are found worldwide and may be up to 300 million years old. Some of these teeth reach a width of 6 inches and a length of 8 inches. Scientists estimate that such a shark may have been up to seventy feet long.
Geode - Geodes come from the center of the eath, blown out of a volcano as a bubble. They fell to the ground and were buried by volcanic ash. Silicon and quartz, seeping through the earth over millions of years filled the bubble with beautiful crystals.
Malachite - Malachite occurs when carbonated water interacts with copper minerals, or when a solution of copper interacts with limestone. It is a secondary mineral of copper, which means it's formed when copper minerals are altered by other chemicals.
Meteorite - Meteorites are bits of the solar system that have fallen to the Earth. Most come from asteroids, and a few probably come from comets. A small number of meteorites have been shown to be of Lunar or Martian origin.
Obsidian (Apache Tears) - Obsidian is the result of volcanic lava coming in contact with water. Often the lava pours into a lake or ocean and is cooled quickly. This process produces a glassy texture in the resulting rock.
Orthoceras - Orthoceras are primitive, maring cephalopods that possess a shell. They were most abundant about 400 million years ago. They scavenged and preyed on small animals.
Pyrite (Fool's Gold) - Pyrite is an Iron Ore that closely resembles gold. It is lighter in color and weight, and much harder than gold.
Quartz - Quartz is the most common mineral on the face of the Earth. It is found in nearly every geological environment and is at least a component of almost every rock type. It is also the most varied in terms of varieties, colors and forms.
Sandrose - A sandrose is a selenite crystal. It forms where water containing selenite evaporates or recedes, causing the remaining selenite to crystalize.
Trilobite - The term Trilobite refers to an extinct class of arthropods. These animals first appeared about 570 million years ago. These marine invertabrates were primarily bottom dwellers.
Turquoise - Turquoise is a valuable mineral and is possibly the most valuable, non-transparent mineral in the jewelry trade. It has been mined for eons since at least 6000 BC. by early Egyptians. Its history also includes beautiful ornamental creations by Native Americans and Persians. |
