Stromatolite Slab from Bolivia (with stand) bc39badc492c4c2d735262d41ea798bb

Stromatolite Slab from Bolivia (with stand) bc39badc492c4c2d735262d41ea798bbBillions of years ago, Cyanobacteria, (Blue Green Algae) was the most abundant life form on our planet, forming in lakes, oceans, on rocks or almost anywhere there was moisture. These bacteria are credited for the creation of most of the Earth's oxygen. Over long periods of time, some of these bacteria worked its way through sand and other sediments, binding it together, dying off and then eventually transforming it into stone. That stone is known as

Topaz occurs in the igneous rock rhyolite

) The variation in colors are due to trace amounts of other elements replacing the calcium during the crystalline formation

until the wood is transformed into stone

found in the area

Other than being mined and shaped

The name Malachite is derived from ancient Greece

We will send the best available specimen upon time of purchase

Quartz is composed of silica (SiO2)

or may build into larger formations

Limited availablity in this material

rating a 9 on the Moh’s scale

Calcium carbonate from the shells of these creatures began to take a new form over time