About the State Stone of Michigan
Michigan's state stone is the Petoskey stone, which is actually a rock and a fossil. It is fossilized coral, to be precise. You can find them on the beaches around the towns of Petoskey and Charlevoix. There is even a festival devoted to them that is held each May.
Other People Are Reading
-
History
-
Petoskey Stones were formed through glaciation about 350 million years ago. Glaciers picked up the coral from the bedrock and the sheets of ice ground off the rough edges before depositing them in the northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. The Latin name is Hexagonaria percarinata. The stones can be found on and near beaches.
Function
-
After being shined to show the coral formation, Petoskey Stones can be used as drawer pulls, jewelery, doorknobs, paper weights and worry stones.
-
Identification
-
When dry, a Petoskey Stone resembles limestone. When wet or when lapidary techniques are applied, a Petoskey Stone takes on the mottled hexagon-like appearance of the coral. Petoskey Stones are made primarily out of calcite and thus are easy to carve.
Significance
-
Some say the name "Petoskey" comes from an Ottawa Indian chief's name, Pet-O-Sega. The chief was a descendant of a French fur trader and an Ottawa princess. The word means "rising sun" or "rays of dawn." In reading Native American discussions of the Petoskey stone, however, you will learn that the Native Americans dispute this story. They find the stones so sacred that they have no origin story for them, nor would such a story include a descendant of a French fur trader.
Time Frame
-
If you would like to find a Petoskey Stone of your own, the best time to look is in early spring. When the ice melts on Grand Traverse Bay, it pushes a new crop of stones toward the shore. You may also have luck finding them in the summer after a rain or a storm, when the wetness will make the fossil pattern more visible.
-
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
