Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones

| return to catalogue
view of stone 834

Corsi 834, approx. 145 x 73 x 40 mm, © Oxford University Museum of Natural History

OUMNH Number: 834  
Name and quarry location: perhaps africano, from Locality unknown; if africano, then from Sigacik (ancient Teos), Izmir Province, Turkey  
Geological description: A metamorphosed breccia of dark dolomitic? limestone containing bioclasts such as forams, echinoderm spines and perhaps crinoid ossicles. There are also scattered pyrite crystals and some reddish intraclasts. The matrix is coarsely crystalline pink calcite. There is some chlorite development around clasts. Note the iron-stained calcite-filled fracture.  
Comments: This breccia was undoubtedly included by Corsi among his ancient granites because it so strongly resembles the granito bianco e nero from Wadi Barud (see no.844), and he did not recognise it as a calcareous stone. It has probably been mistaken for the Egyptian stone when in use. The composition of the clasts, including the reddish intraclasts, suggests it may possibly be a very unusual variety of africano from Teos, but this is by no means certain.  
References:  
Further information:
 


Corsi's classification: Class 16. Granites; i. Antique granite  
Corsi's text: 206.22 Granito antico. Marmor Syenite. Marmo Sienite... [trovata] presso la città di Siene sul confine fra Egitto, e l'Etiopia... Pyrrhopoecilon... Psaronion...Aethiopicum perchè... era Siene sul confine dell' Etiopia.  

Full entry in English

| return to catalogue
Enter some search terms
Show results as:

search tips

Searches the database for all stone records containing the words you enter. To search for a text string, put it between quotation marks. To search for stone records that don't contain a word, put a minus sign in front of it.

For example, entering: granite "coarse-grained" -Egypt will find all the coarse-grained granites that do not come from Egypt.

Terms of three characters or less have not been indexed.

Funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Oxford University Museum of Natural History University of Oxford