MINERAL OF THE MONTH
March 2010 – Fossilized Dinosaur Bone
This month’s featured mineral is fossilized dinosaur bone. For the new agate book, Tom Shearer borrowed samples of fossilized bone from Mark Anderson (www.differentseasonsjewelry.com). The specimens pictured below come from Utah. Although they certainly have agate pockets, technically the fossilization process is different than the agatization process. Therefore, these specimens are classified as fossilized dinosaur bones that have agate pockets.
You might wonder how these bones become fossilized in the first place. The process happened as follows:
- After their death, dinosaurs became buried in mud or sand.
- The softer tissues decayed and rotted. However, the harder parts like bones and teeth did not rot and became encased in the sediment.
- In time mineral-rich water seeped into the bone. The process of fossilization occurred in two different ways. Either the original organic material was replaced with other minerals (permineralization), or tiny spaces in the bone filled in with minerals (recrystallization). In the case of the fossil photographs included below, agate filled in some of the spaces.
- This process causes the bone to turn into a fossil. The fossil has the same shape as the original bone, but chemically has been converted to rock!
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Mineral of the Month Archives
May 2007 Rainbow Fluorite
June 2007 Lake Superior Michipicoten Agate
July 2007 Labadorite
August 2007 Rain Flower Agate
Fall 2007 Malachite
December 2007 Nepheline Syenite
January 2008 Native Copper
February 2008 Amazonite
March 2008 Lake Superior Agate
April 2008 Shadow Agate
May 2008 Apohpylite
June 2008 Ocean Jasper
Summer 2008 Marra Mamba Tiger's Eye
September 2008 Mohawkite
October 2008 Mexican opal
November 2008 Prehnite
December 2008 Picture Jasper
January 2009 Sea Shell Jasper
February 2009 Polychrome Jasper
March 2009 Selenite Desert Rose
Spring 2009 Coyamito Agate
July 2009 Obsidian Needles
August 2009 Goethite
September 2009 Banded Iron Formation
Fall 2009 Fairburn Agate
February 2010 Kentucky Agate
March 2010 Fossilized Dinosaur Bone
April/May 2010 Kentucky Agate
June 2010 Nantan Meteorite
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Gitche Gumee Museum.
E21739 Brazel Street
Grand Marais, Michigan 49839
