Beverly the Bug is the first and only known opal with an insect inclusion. It contains "the exoskeleton of a nymphal insect belonging to the order Hemiptera and either the family Tettigarctidae or the Cicadidae".[1]

It was found on Java in 2015.[2] Gemologist Brian T. Berger purchased the gem in 2018 and named it Beverly the Bug.[3] He submitted it to the Gemological Institute of America, which authenticated it as an "unaltered, untampered precious opal, with a genuine insect inclusion."[4][5]

Though such inclusions are relatively common in amber, some opal-enclosed fossils have been discovered before[2][6] among silica-containing rocks near geysers, but this is the first that appears to have been formed via the erosion of volcanic rocks.[3] This raises the possibility that, if there was life on Mars (which had volcanic activity in its past), it too might be preserved the same way.[1][3]

It has been displayed in the Perot Museum in Dallas, the Tellus Museum in Atlanta, and the Alfie Norville Museum in Arizona.

References

  1. ^ a b Chauviré, Boris; Houadria, Mickal; Donini, Aline; Berger, Brian T.; Rondeau, Benjamin; Kritsky, Gene; Lhuissier, Pierre (June 29, 2020). "Arthropod entombment in weathering-formed opal: new horizons for recording life in rocks". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 10575. Bibcode:2020NatSR..1010575C. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67412-9. PMC 7324577. PMID 32601331.
  2. ^ a b "Strange fossil may be rare insect preserved in gemstone". National Geographic. January 31, 2019. ... Jenni Brammall, an expert on opal and opalized fossils at the Australian Opal Centre
  3. ^ a b c "Rare Fossil Reveals Cicada Entombed in Opal - Scientific American". Scientific American.
  4. ^ Solly, Meilan. "Gemologist Finds Insect Entombed in Opal Rather Than Amber". Smithsonian Magazine.
  5. ^ Starr, Michelle. "This Ancient Dead Bug Could Change What We Know About Opal Formation". ScienceAlert.
  6. ^ Pickrell, John (December 4, 2018). "Exclusive: Sparkly, opal-filled fossils reveal new dinosaur species". National Geographic. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.

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