Tag
opal
9 posts
- 08 July 2026The 250-Million-Year-Old Shark Teeth That Turned to OpalIn the Gunnedah Basin, 250-million-year-old shark teeth have been replaced by precious opal—silica ghosts that preserve the shape of an ancient inland sea.
- 25 June 2026The 100,000-Year-Old Storm That Built a Mountain of OpalHow 100,000-year-old weathering in South Australia's Stuart Range created the world's largest known opal deposit—a gemstone born not from fire but from slow desert rain.
- 20 June 2026The Opal That Grew in a Dinosaur's Footprint: South Australia's Coober Pedy FieldsHow 100-million-year-old opal in South Australia's Coober Pedy formed in the voids of a Cretaceous inland sea, preserving fossils of dinosaurs, marine reptiles, and ancient clams in gem-quality silica
- 17 June 2026The Sand That Became a Mountain of Light: South Australia's Coober Pedy Opal Fields:
- 22 May 2026The Ash That Buried a Reef: South Australia's Andamooka OpalHow 100-million-year-old opal in South Australia's Andamooka formed in the cavities of an ancient Cretaceous reef, preserving a vanished inland sea in gemstone.
- 20 May 2026The Ice That Left a Scar of Opal: South Australia's Coober PedyHow 100-million-year-old Cretaceous opal in South Australia formed in the cavities of an ancient inland sea, preserving fossils of dinosaurs and marine reptiles in gemstone.
- 17 May 2026The Lava That Preserved a Lake: South Australia's Eromanga Sea VolcanoesIn South Australia, 120-million-year-old volcanoes erupted through the Eromanga Sea, creating islands that later became opal-bearing sedimentary rocks — a story of fire meeting water in the Cretaceous
- 17 May 2026The Volcano That Gave Birth to Opal: Lightning Ridge's Cretaceous SecretHow 100-million-year-old volcanic eruptions and ancient inland seas created the conditions for Australia's precious black opal at Lightning Ridge.
- 11 May 2026The Opal That Grew in a Cave: Lightning Ridge's Black OpalIn the claystone of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, 100-million-year-old opal formed in underground cavities where silica-rich water filled the spaces left by rotting wood and dinosaur bones.