Unusual & Exotic – Turritella Fossil Agate

Turritella Agate is not right. It is not an Agate, but more closely related to Jasper, like Petrified Wood. It is not a fossil of Turritella Gastropods, but a fossil of Elimia Tenera Gastropods. Elimia Tenera are fresh water snails (gastropods) that share a very similar shape to ocean born Turritellas. Which means these dear little crystal companions are in desperate need of a more appropriate name.

The story of these lively prehistoric gems begins in early Tertiery times (approximately 60 million years ago). A series of geological events were causing the uplifting of mountains that eventually would be known as the Rockies. As the land lifts upwards it forms three Eocene Age lakes in the area of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Utah. Geologists have named them the Fossil, Ulinta and Gosiute Lakes. Life thrived within the waters and along the shorelines of these lakes. Other fossilized material from the area shows that plant life, reptiles and fish flourished along with the millions of fresh water gastropods and bi-valves. During those long ago days, residents of the lakes enjoyed a subtropical climate, but also lived under the constant threat of volcanic eruptions.

Mortality layers containing volcanic ash throughout the area suggest that there were numerous cycles of life and extinction over the millennia. It was the violent eruptions of the nearby volcanos which helped to create a pristine environment for fossils to form. Whole schools of the primal Kenightia (looks like a Herring) fish have been found in the fossilized beds of the Eocene lakes. Palm Trees, Turtles and Crocodile imprints have been found along what would have been the lakes' shorelines. The poorly named gemstone, Turritella Agate comes from the floor of these primordial lakes. Continued eruptions and fallout from the region's volcanos allowed much of the lakes' bottoms to be buried in ash as the lakes retreated or dried up (geologists are not sure what really happened to the lakes).

Essentially the mud and everything in it became petrified; frozen in stone. Besides the mis-identified Elimia Tenera gastropods, these fossil crystals also contain prehistoric bi-valves called Pleisielliptio and Sphaerium. Other varieties of ancient snails like Hydrobia and Valvata, plus some rarer Biomphalaria and Lymnaea are also found in Turritella Agates. In Sweetwater County Wyoming the petrified lake floor is up to two feet thick covering several acres (and miles in some cases).

While Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Montana are the only sources for Turritella Agates, there seems to be some evidence that other such deposits may exist on the planet. An archeological dig in the Czech Republic revealed beads containing fossils of Gastropods that are almost 30,000 years old.

Traditional Properties & Beliefs
All Fossils are very well tuned for journeying into past lives. The extra high energy in the Turritella Agate adds a turbo boost to your journey. The abundance of frozen life within a single gem helps you to "see" clearer and understand more quickly the impressions and images you receive during your journey.

Are you having trouble solidifying a solution to a nagging problem? Every time you reach for the answer it slips away? Or you get bogged down in your own muddy thoughts and emotions? Try a quiet meditation with this dark crystal. Its long ago past was also muddy and slippery. Anytime something moved upon the surface, muck was stirred up and vision was clouded. You see this same entity today, everything is crystal clear. Every curve of every snail or clam is easy to see, easy to understand, easy to deal with. Just like problems, if we are patient and allow time for the dust to settle.
An excellent crystal for healing and clearing the Base and Crown Chakra. It may also increase physical energy, especially when the body is being challenged by fatigue or stress. Turritella Agates may also aid with the absorption of vitamins and minerals like Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium and vitamin A. Most importantly in healing, this gem teaches survival against all odds. No matter how mucky and gross things are right now, eventually everything crystallizes into perfection.

Reprinted from Ore’s Featured Gemstones – Turritella Agates