LIMONITE ‘SNUFF BOX’ - Inferior Oolite - Burton Bradstock, Dorset
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Middle Inferior Oolite
170 million years old
Burton Bradstock, Dorset
Limonite (iron-oxide) concretion or ‘snuff-box’ from the Middle Jurassic of Dorset. The name was used in the nineteenth century by local quarrymen to describe these curious round, rusty-brown concretions they found in the pale limestone.
They are strongly laminated and it is understood that they grew by accretion of microbially-induced layers of iron-oxide around a nucleus such as a pebble of limestone. In many cases the limestone core has dissolved, leaving what appears to be a rusty metal box, which gives them their name.
This example is from an old collection. It has been lightly treated with a sealant.
Size: approx. 11 x 8 x 5 centimetres
Weight: 403 grams
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