The Million Souls Mine is a newly founded resource in Pasco County, Florida, where we find the prettiest gem grade agatized coral you will ever see. There is some amazing material here! 

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The mine itself is both an archaeological site and a geological wonder. Here, the coral was silicified by the silica-rich groundwater flowing out of the last limestone hill of the Brookesville Ridge. The conditions are just right in this particular spot for the formation of this wonderful material. Here, the coral skeletons were protected from the acids that destroyed the coral on the rest of the peninsula as it was emerging from the sea.

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Starting around 8,000 years ago, native Americans began practicing the art of heat treating rock to make it more malleable for flint knapping. At that time, the pre-historic Floridians started quarrying the coral from this site. The color you see in the rock was originally exposed by the Indians in that quarrying activity. However, they left an awful lot of untouched raw material in the ground. We have found that the colors exposed in the worked debitage are equally present in that untouched raw material down in the clay. We've found hammerstones, quarry blanks and more evidence of ancient people finding their tool and weapon material right here at the Million Souls Mine! 

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