When Mike Poben, an opal buyer and and fossil fanatic, bought a bucket of opal from an Australian mine, he was surprised to find to find what looked like an ancient tooth in the pile.

Reading Liz and Bob's book on fossils redefined opal mining for Butch. “Finding a fossil in the wall is probably almost a bigger buzz than finding actual opal,” he says.

These Fossils Preserved in Opal Are a Gorgeous, Iridescent Window Into the Past. Scientists Are Fighting to Save Them from the Black Market; ...

The new dinosaur fossil was found in an opal mine and has turned into the gem itself, making it the most complete opalized dinosaur skeleton in the world, according to a new study. One of the ...

The fossil was found in 2013 by Adelaide-based opal dealer Mike Poben, for whom the new species was named. He had bought a bag of rough opal from miners and picked through it for fossils, as he ...

Exclusive: Gem-like fossils reveal stunning new dinosaur species. Four members of this newly described plant-eater were found together in what may be Australia’s first known dinosaur herd.

Opalized toe fossil of Fostoria dhimbangunmal. Image: (Australian Opal Centre) After the excavation, these fossils went on display at the Australian Museum in Sydney, where they remained for decades.

But this fossil comes from soil made by volcanic rocks eroding, and it is the first animal found entombed in opal that formed this way. Knowing this can happen, Chauviré says, suggests new places ...

Reading Liz and Bob's book on fossils redefined opal mining for Butch. “Finding a fossil in the wall is probably almost a bigger buzz than finding actual opal,” he says.

They were displayed there for a few years before Foster brought them to the Australian Opal Centre. When the fossils were officially donated by his children to the center in 2015, the scientific ...

When Mike Poben, an opal buyer and and fossil fanatic, bought a bucket of opal from an Australian mine, he was surprised to find to find what looked like an ancient tooth in the pile. Later, he ...