Polished Slabs at Carnegie Museum

To begin 2012, a tack away from fossils will be taken temporarily for some geological eye candy. The Hillman Hall of Minerals of Gems at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History has a beautiful display of illuminated mineral slices. This posting shows just a few so you will need to visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in person to truly appreciate the beauty of these specimens. The first is an agate and amethyst piece from Brazil. Followed by another Brazilian piece of "bullseye" agate.

This next is is of a cross section of fire opal from Mexico.

This multi-shaded purple specimen is a piece of rhodochrosite from Argentina.

The following image is of an agate from Brazil.

This next picture is of a nephrite jade found in New Zealand.

The last image is of liddicoatite from Madagascar.

Heliophyllum Horn Coral

Heliophyllum horn coral found in the Middle Devonian aged Jeffersonville Limestone of Clark County, Indiana. Not sure what species this is, there must be at least 8 of them found in the area.

Heliophyllum ingens Coral

I believe this fossil would be classified as a colonial coral or maybe a cluster of horn corals attached together. The Stumm book on Devonian and Silurian Corals of the Falls of the Ohio (1964) identifies it as a Billingsastraea ingens.  The Falls of the Ohio State Park web site lists as a Heliophyllum ingens (LINK). It was found in the Middle Devonian Boyle Limestone of Nelson County, Kentucky. The fossil can be yours: eBay LINK