Gembone

Last updated
Gembone
Common nameGembone
SpeciesVaries
Place discoveredWorldwide

Gembone, also known as gem bone, agatized dinosaur bone, or dinogem, is mineralized bone, often dinosaur bone, which occurs when minerals from groundwater are deposited within the bones. [1] It is one of five gemstones created from organisms (the others being pearl, ammolite, amber and jet). [2] Many minerals can be found in gembone including agate, hematite, iron, pyrite, jasper, marcasite, quartz or other crystal. Aside from their use in jewelry, scientists can use this type of specimen to perform research into the anatomic structure of ancient species. [3]

Controversy

Due to the rarity and irreplaceability of dinosaur bones, the acquisition, ownership and use of gembone is a contentious topic. [4] In many countries it is illegal to dig up and sell dinosaur bones without permission, for example the United States, where it is illegal to dig for bones on public land without a permit from the Secretary of the Interior. [5] As with all dinosaur specimens, collectors may find specimens by making legal deals with private landowners or by purchasing illicitly obtained fossils. [6] [7] In recent years, several new species of saurids have been identified from mineralised dinosaur fossils, highlighting the importance of these specimens to science. [8] [9] Scientists are also concerned that a lot of context is being lost when fossils are pulled out of the ground and sold by amateur hunters, while the collectors state that the fossils will just be lost to the ages if left to erode in the ground. [10] In 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that under Montana law, dinosaur fossils are not minerals because, regardless of the mineral content of the skeleton, they are "valuable because of characteristics other than mineral content". [11] [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agate</span> Rock consisting of cryptocrystalline silica alternating with microgranular quartz

Agate is the banded variety of chalcedony, which comes in a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Ancient Greece, in assorted jewelry and in the seal stones of Greek warriors, while bead necklaces with pierced and polished agate date back to the 3rd millennium BCE in the Indus Valley civilisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Horner (paleontologist)</span> American paleontologist

John Robert Horner is an American paleontologist most famous for describing Maiasaura, providing the first clear evidence that some dinosaurs cared for their young. In addition to his paleontological discoveries, Horner served as the technical advisor for the first five Jurassic Park films, had a cameo appearance in Jurassic World, and served as a partial inspiration for one of the lead characters of the franchise, Dr. Alan Grant. Horner studied at the University of Montana, although he did not complete his degree due to undiagnosed dyslexia, and was awarded a Doctorate in Science honoris causa. He retired from Montana State University on July 1, 2016, although he claims to have been pushed out of the Museum of the Rockies after having married an undergraduate student and now teaches as a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeoraptor</span> Faked dinosaur discovery in China

"Archaeoraptor" is the informal generic name for a fossil chimera from China in an article published in National Geographic magazine in 1999. The magazine claimed that the fossil was a "missing link" between birds and terrestrial theropod dinosaurs. Even before this publication, there had been severe doubts about the fossil's authenticity. A further scientific study showed it to be a forgery constructed from rearranged pieces of real fossils from different species. Zhou et al. found that the head and upper body belong to a specimen of the primitive fossil bird Yanornis. A 2002 study found that the tail belongs to a small winged dromaeosaur, Microraptor, named in 2000. The legs and feet belong to an as-yet-unknown-animal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Natural History</span> Natural history museum in Washington, D.C.

The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2022, with 3.9 million visitors, it was the most-visited museum in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amateur geology</span> Non-professional study and collecting of rocks

Amateur geology or rock collecting is the non-professional study and hobby of collecting rocks and minerals or fossil specimens from the natural environment. In Australia, New Zealand and Cornwall, the activities of amateur geologists are called fossicking. The first amateur geologists were prospectors looking for valuable minerals and gemstones for commercial purposes. Eventually, however, more people have been drawn to amateur geology for recreational purposes, mainly for the beauty that rocks and minerals provide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil collecting</span> Collecting fossils to study, collect or sell

Fossil collecting is the collection of fossils for scientific study, hobby, or profit. Fossil collecting, as practiced by amateurs, is the predecessor of modern paleontology and many still collect fossils and study fossils as amateurs. Professionals and amateurs alike collect fossils for their scientific value. A commercial trade in fossils has also long existed, with some of this being practised illegally.

<i>Pachycephalosaurus</i> Extinct genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaur

Pachycephalosaurus is a genus of pachycephalosaurid ornithischian dinosaur. The type species, P. wyomingensis, is the only known species, but some researchers argue that the genus Stygimoloch might be a second species, P. spinifer or a juvenile specimen of P. wyomingensis. It lived during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now western North America. Remains have been excavated in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Alberta. The species is known mainly from a single skull, plus a few extremely thick skull roofs. More complete fossils would come to be found in the following years.

<i>Brachylophosaurus</i> Extinct genus of reptiles

Brachylophosaurus was a mid-sized member of the hadrosaurid family of dinosaurs. It is known from several skeletons and bonebed material from the Judith River Formation of Montana, the Wahweap Formation of Utah and the Oldman Formation of Alberta, living about 81-76.7 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houston Museum of Natural Science</span> Natural history museum in Houston, Texas

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston focusing on education and science. The museum complex consists of a central facility with four floors of natural science halls and exhibits, the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Cockrell Butterfly Center, and the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre. In 2022 the museum received 1,520,000 visitors, making it seventh on the List of most-visited museums in the United States, and was the third most-visited U.S. science museum. Much of the museum's popularity is attributed to its large number of special or guest exhibits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burpee Museum of Natural History</span>

The Burpee Museum of Natural History is located along the Rock River in downtown Rockford, Illinois, United States, at 737 North Main Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearpaw Formation</span> Geologic formation in North America

The Bearpaw Formation, also called the Bearpaw Shale, is a geologic formation of Late Cretaceous (Campanian) age. It outcrops in the U.S. state of Montana, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and was named for the Bear Paw Mountains in Montana. It includes a wide range of marine fossils, as well as the remains of a few dinosaurs. It is known for its fossil ammonites, some of which are mined in Alberta to produce the organic gemstone ammolite.

Specimens of <i>Tyrannosaurus</i>

Tyrannosaurus rex is one of the most iconic dinosaurs and is known from numerous specimens, some of which have individually acquired notability due to their scientific significance and media coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammolite</span> Opal-like organic gemstone

Ammolite is an opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is made of the fossilized shells of ammonites, which in turn are composed primarily of aragonite, the same mineral contained in nacre, with a microstructure inherited from the shell. It is one of few biogenic gemstones; others include amber and pearl. In 1981, ammolite was given official gemstone status by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), the same year commercial mining of ammolite began. It was designated the official gemstone of the City of Lethbridge, Alberta in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinosaur egg</span> Vessel for dinosaur embryo development

Dinosaur eggs are the organic vessels in which a dinosaur embryo develops. When the first scientifically documented remains of non-avian dinosaurs were being described in England during the 1820s, it was presumed that dinosaurs had laid eggs because they were reptiles. In 1859, the first scientifically documented dinosaur egg fossils were discovered in France by Jean-Jacques Poech, although they were mistaken for giant bird eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals</span> Historic house in Oregon, United States

The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is a non-profit museum in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located just north of the Sunset Highway on the northern edge of Hillsboro, the earth science museum is in the Portland metropolitan area. Opened in 1997, the museum's collections date to the 1930s with the museum housed in a home built to display the rock and mineral collections of the museum founders. The ranch-style home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first of its kind listed in Oregon. In 2015 the museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fossil trade</span> Trade involving fossils

The fossil trade is the purchase and sale of fossils. This is at times done illegally with stolen fossils, and important scientific specimens are lost each year. The trade is lucrative, and many celebrities collect fossils.

The Dueling Dinosaurs or Montana Dueling Dinosaurs is a fossil specimen originating from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. It consists of the fossilized skeletons of an adolescent Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops horridus entangled with one another, and entombed in sandstone. The "dueling" inference comes from the numerous injuries sustained by both dinosaurs, including a tooth from the Tyrannosaurus embedded within the Triceratops, although it is not known whether they were actually buried fighting one another. Despite the scientific importance of the specimen, it has remained relatively obscure due to a lengthy legal dispute over property rights to the specimen, which has since been resolved. The fossil is currently in the possession of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moroccan fossil trade</span>

The Moroccan fossil trade is the large industry surrounding the excavation, preparation and international sale of fossils from Morocco. Morocco contains some of the world's richest fossil sites and has seen international interest from fossil collectors since the early 20th century. As interest in collecting fossils grew in the late 20th century, the Moroccan fossil trade grew into a lucrative industry of its own. More than 50,000 Moroccans earn their living in mining, trading or exporting fossils and the industry itself is worth more than $40 million annually. The booming industry is so big that some commentators have referred to it as "fossil capitalism" or a "trilobite economy".

References

  1. ↑ "Curious Collections: True Blue Fossils". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Organic Gemstones: Amber, pearl, jet, dinosaur bone and more!". geology.com. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  3. ↑ "Molecular Expressions Microscopy Primer: Specialized Microscopy Techniques - Phase Contrast Photomicrography Gallery - Agatized Dinosaur Bone". micro.magnet.fsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  4. ↑ "ThinkGeek Selling Dinosaur Bone Fragments Paleontologists". The Mary Sue. 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  5. ↑ "Rockhounding". Utah.com. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  6. ↑ "Inside the homes (and minds) of fossil collectors". Culture. 2019-09-17. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  7. ↑ Webster, Donovan. "The Dinosaur Fossil Wars". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  8. ↑ "Exclusive: Sparkly, opal-filled fossils reveal new dinosaur species". Science. 2018-12-04. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  9. ↑ "Gem-like fossils reveal stunning new dinosaur species". Science. 2019-06-03. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  10. ↑ Black, Riley (2013-01-09). "Psst … Hey, Buddy, You Wanna Buy a Dinosaur?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  11. ↑ @NatGeoUK (2020-11-17). "'Duelling Dinosaurs' fossil, hidden from science for 14 years, could finally reveal its secrets". National Geographic. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  12. ↑ "Montana Supreme Court: Dinosaur fossils worth millions aren't minerals". Missoula Current. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  13. ↑ "Murray v. BEJ Minerals, LLC". Justia Law. Retrieved 2021-02-12.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.