Stopping by the Bois D’Arc Knap-in recently I got to see some remarkable works of art and a few natural wonders as well.  My friend Regan showed my a little treat he discovered in a Burlington Chert core he was reducing to make some stone tools.  There was obviously a band of crystals crossing the stone but little did he know that while removing this imperfection he would find a real gem inside.  A Mississippian-age brachiopod was hidden inside for 325,000,000+ years!  This makes him the first mammal to ever see it.  I enjoy that kind of perspective on the universe as we sometimes forget the significance of the little things.

I was a little distracted the day Regan showed this to me so I didn’t photograph it. He was kind enough to send along this photo.

Here’s a little more information about this sort of life-form from the Illinois State Geological Survey:

Click the image to go to the Brachiopod web page.