As far as idle bugs go , we ’d venture to say this is one of the fancy in the history of Earth .
Last year , gemologist Brian Berger was attracted to an exceptionally gorgeous opal at a food market on the island of Java in Indonesia . While it was the stone ’s vibrant colors that first caught his eye , he quickly realized the opal also have an worm that had , somehow , become snare inside .
" As manifest in the photos , you’re able to see what seem to be a staring louse encased attractively inside , " Berger indite in a web log post forEntomology Today . “Upon close-fitting review , the insect seem to have an open mouth and to be very well preserved , with even fibrous structures reach out from the appendages . "
In all likelihood , this super - rare specimen start out as an insect that became swamped in tree diagram resin . Over the millennium , subject to high pressures and temperatures beneath layers of deposit , the rosin then turn into amber . This process alone takes millions of years and demand numerous specific circumstances , specially if the rosin contains organic fabric .
While insect encased in amber are well known and plenteous , this was then followed by a second process called opalization , enriching the gemstone with a distinctive iridescent rainbow color . Remarkably , the body structure of the unknown dirt ball remains integral and distinctly seeable .
Scientistsdon’t know too muchabout how opal are constitute , but the unconscious process of opalization loosely imply turn subject into a silica mineral by combine silicon dioxide with water supply . It can occur to Natalie Wood , rocks , eggshell , and even fossilized dinosaur pearl . For example,“Eric the Pliosaur”is a rather awesome opalized fogy of a prehistoric aquatic reptilian .
As you could reckon , it ’s incredibly uncommon forthe formation of amberand opalization to both pass off to the same ball of ancient tree resin ( that just so happened to also contain a bug too ) . In fact , this is believed to be among very few jazz case of this ever happening . To ensure that the stone was not a bogus , Berger transmit it for an examination at the Gemological Institute of America , who verified its provenance and take note it ’s the only one they have ever analyze .
" As far as note value on the specimen , it ’s in truth invaluable to me , " Brian told IFLScience . " I do n’t think at this stage it ’s for sale , but I am view offering it to a museum for presentation if there is pursuit , as I feel like share the discovery with the world is probably the best itinerary . “
