fossil

Fossilized Favosites Coral (Honeycomb Coral)

Favosites (extinct genus Table Coral)

Hardness: 3-4 (calcite) to 7 (if silicified); Color: Tan, brown, or gray; Luster: Dull to earthy; Structure: Polygonal, honeycomb-like pores or 'corallites' that are closely packed.

Hardness: 3-4 (calcite) to 7 (if silicified)
Color: Tan, brown, or gray
Luster: Dull to earthy

Identified July 6, 2026More fossil →

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Physical properties

Hardness: 3-4 (calcite) to 7 (if silicified); Color: Tan, brown, or gray; Luster: Dull to earthy; Structure: Polygonal, honeycomb-like pores or 'corallites' that are closely packed.

Formation & geological history

Formed in warm, shallow marine environments during the Ordovician to Devonian periods (approx. 488 to 360 million years ago). The skeletons were buried in sediment and lithified over millions of years.

Uses & applications

Educational specimens, fossil collecting, decorative lapidary work, and paleontology research.

Geological facts

Known as 'honeycomb coral' due to the distinctive shape of the individual corallites. They were major reef-builders in the Paleozoic era and are completely extinct fossils with no living descendants.

Field identification & locations

Identify by looking for a repeating hexagonal or pentagonal cell pattern resembling a honeycomb. Commonly found in limestone outcrops, Great Lakes beaches (especially Lake Michigan and Lake Huron), and quarries.

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