sedimentary
Fossilized Tabulate Coral (Honeycomb Coral)
Favosites (Order: Tabulata)
Hardness: 3 (if limestone/calcite) to 7 (if silicified); Color: Light gray to tan/brown; Luster: Dull to earthy; Structure: Colonies composed of closely packed hexagonal corallites (cells); Specific Gravity: 2.6 to 2.8.
- Hardness
- 3 (if limestone/calcite) to 7 (if silicified)
- Color
- Light gray to tan/brown
- Luster
- Dull to earthy
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Physical properties
Hardness: 3 (if limestone/calcite) to 7 (if silicified); Color: Light gray to tan/brown; Luster: Dull to earthy; Structure: Colonies composed of closely packed hexagonal corallites (cells); Specific Gravity: 2.6 to 2.8.
Formation & geological history
Formed in warm, shallow marine environments primarily during the Silurian and Devonian periods (approx. 430–360 million years ago) through the accumulation of calcium carbonate skeletons from extinct coral colonies.
Uses & applications
Geological study, amateur fossil collecting, and decorative display pieces. Smaller specimens are sometimes used as aquarium gravel or garden stones.
Geological facts
Favosites is often called 'Honeycomb Coral' because the small hexagonal chambers resemble a bee's honeycomb; unlike modern corals, these extinct corals had distinctive internal horizontal partitions called tabulae.
Field identification & locations
Identified by the distinct grid or honeycomb pattern of small pores on the surface. Commonly found in creek beds and quarries throughout the Great Lakes region and limestone-rich areas of North America.
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