About 40 to 50 million years ago (give or take a few years) in what’s now known as the Western Sahara of Morocco, a pine cone fell to the Earth. But before it could germinate or simply decompose like most of the pinecones that fell before it, it was quickly covered by silica rich sediment.
What happened to this little pine cone? Over time, the organic plant material decomposed and was replaced cell by cell with silica, crystallizing into agate, all while maintaining the original structure of the pine cone.
40 million years later, our pinecone was discovered and ultimately ended up in the hands of Tyler, aka Agate Dad. And if you’ve seen Agate Dad work before, you know that zero stone is safe from being cut in half while in his possession, including our little pinecone.
Take a look at what is inside this agatized pinecone! the tiny little geode pockets are absolutely beautiful.
