Dinosaur Bone

Dinosaur Bone...it was an animal and now it's a stone

Fossilized dinosaur bones from the late Jurassic - 160 million of years ago - are found across the American West. Many high-quality specimens are located in the Colorado Plateau, a huge basin ringed by highlands and roughly corresponding to the Four Corners area.

The large dinosaur bones on left were collected in the 1950s in Utah by Ernest Shirley who owned the reknown rock shop in Hanksville, Utah.

Agatized dinosaur bone is formed when mineral-rich silica in water seeps through the bones and replaces animal material.

This slow process keeps the original shape of cell structures clearly defined. Well-defined specimens are rare and considered gem or investment quality.

This stone was found in the Morrison Formation.

Beautiful and varied colors are caused by the different minerals that permeate the buried bones.

Colors include:

Blue black/purple -- manganese-oxide
Orange, red, yellow -- iron oxides
Greens -- chromium or chlorite
Rose, pink -- cinnabar

Rough rock; the bone shapes and cell patterns are clearly recognizeable

Natural Stone Art

of the American West