PARENT COMPANIES: TRUE BLUE OPALS PTY LTD & LIGHTNING OPALS LLC

GASTROPOD (SNAIL)

COOBER PEDY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

OPALIZED FOSSIL

GOOD COLOR

Gastropoda or gastropods, more commonly known as snails and slugs, are a large taxonomic class within the phylum Mollusca. The class Gastropoda includes snails and slugs of all kinds and all sizes from microscopic to Achatina achatina, the largest known land gastropod. There are many thousands of species of sea snails and sea slugs, as well as freshwater snails, freshwater limpets, land snails and land slugs.

Gastropoda (previously known as univalves and sometimes spelled "Gasteropoda") are a major part of the phylum Mollusca, and are the most highly diversified class in the phylum,

OPALISED FOSSIL

Opalized gastropods are rare, 100-million-year-old Cretaceous-era sea snail fossils from Australia (principally Coober Pedy) where the original shell material has been replaced by precious opal. These fossils retain their original spiral structure, with silica-rich solutions replacing the shell and often creating vibrant, iridescent colors and play-of-color.

Key Aspects of Opalized Gastropods:

• Origin: Most, if not all, high-quality specimens originate from the Australian opal fields, specifically from the ancient Eromanga Sea, dating back to the Cretaceous period.

• Formation: Over millions of years, silica-rich groundwater replaced the calcium carbonate of the gastropod shells, turning them into opal, sometimes with the internal cavity filled (forming a sand-matrix fossil) or completely replaced.

• Appearance: They appear as small, often spiral-shaped, multicoloured stones, with colors ranging from green, blue, and brown to fiery red.

• Value: Due to the decline in mining, these specimens are considered rare, highly collectible, and valuable for their scientific and aesthetic appeal.

These fossils are typically found in the Outback, sometimes still in the surrounding sandstone or matrix rock.

Note : picture is taken wet to show the colour