fossil
Favosites Fossil (Honeycomb Coral)
Favosites alpenensis (Order: Tabulata)
Hardness: 3-4 (Calcite replacement). Color: Tan, beige, or grey. Luster: Dull to earthy. Structure: Distinctive honeycomb-like hexagonal pores (corallites).
- Hardness
- 3-4 (Calcite replacement)
- Color
- Tan, beige, or grey
- Luster
- Dull to earthy
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Physical properties
Hardness: 3-4 (Calcite replacement). Color: Tan, beige, or grey. Luster: Dull to earthy. Structure: Distinctive honeycomb-like hexagonal pores (corallites).
Formation & geological history
Formed in warm, shallow marine environments during the Silurian and Devonian periods (approx. 430 to 360 million years ago). These were colonial corals that lived in diverse reef systems.
Uses & applications
Primarily collected as geological specimens, used in educational displays, and sometimes tumbled or polished for unique jewelry or pocket stones.
Geological facts
Favosites are known as 'Honeycomb Corals' because of their geometric appearance. Unlike modern corals, these extinct tabulate corals had walls between their polyps called 'tabulae' which supported the coral as it grew upward.
Field identification & locations
Identify by looking for a small, pebbly surface with microscopic hexagonal holes. Very common along the Great Lakes shorelines (especially Michigan) and in limestone quarries of the Midwest.
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