Chalcedony ps. After fossil sponges (2016 find)

Item Description

An excellent and sculptural 2-piece deal from the 2016 finds in Morocco. These are fascinating 360-degree fossil pseudmorphs. Three-toned, translucent, dark brown, light brown and whitish chalcedony has replaced striking globular, bubbly colonial sponges. The darker brown chalcedony is restricted to the smaller sponges and adds a striking visual aspect to the pieces. The smaller piece is pristine and the larger piece has a small out-of-sight contact at the base. Originally marketed in Europe as being from Smara, Western Sahara, these are actually from these obscure open-pit phosphate mines, that have also produced snow-white quartz geodes (MINDAT). The deposits are Upper Cretaceous - Eocene age, 100-34 MYA.