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.

The world’s finest uncut opal, a 998-gram gem called the Fire of Australia, has gone on permanent public display for the first time since its discovery more than 60 years ago. Valued at more ...

It's also Australia's national gemstone. Opals form in rock cavities, so essentially when a bone is buried in sand or clay and turns into stone, opal creates a fossil replica of the bone.

But what used to be the opal capital of the world, is now reduced to 70-odd men fighting over dust. “It is more like fishing than mining,” Bruy adds.

Giant Australian opal sells for $144K in Alaska: 'Locked up long enough' ‘Americus Australis,’ a 11,855-carat opal, was sold for a six-figure price by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals ...

Opal mining is a risky business that has lured hordes of Greeks, Serbs, Croats, Italians, and Germans to build one of Australia's most multicultural outposts in the middle of the desert.

In Sight Inside the world of Australian opal miners who live underground November 16, 2016 More than 8 years ago ...

The red dirt in central Australia might be a close mimic for the red surface of Mars, suggests research that sheds light on how opals formed in the land Down Under. Precious opal is Australia’s ...

The Australian Opals have franked their stunning Olympic bronze with a slice of gold medal history in the first big ...