Description :

Top Specimen: Desert Rose (Gypsum or Barite Rose) 6x3

What it is

A desert rose is a cluster of gypsum or barite crystals that grow in rosette-like shapes. The “petals” form when mineral-rich water evaporates in arid environments, leaving behind blade-like crystals arranged in radiating layers.

Key traits visible in your piece

• Petal-like blades with crisp, layered edges

• Light tan coloration, typical of gypsum roses

• Matte, sandy texture, suggesting it formed in a sediment-rich environment

• Compact rosette shape rather than elongated clusters

Based on the color and softness of the edges, yours is almost certainly gypsum, not barite (barite roses tend to be heavier and more rigid).

Where they form

• Sahara Desert (especially Algeria and Tunisia)

• Southwestern USA (Oklahoma, Arizona)

• Morocco — which fits nicely with the second specimen’s label

 Bottom Specimen: Moroccan Fossil or Concretion 5 x 3 

The lower piece is trickier because Morocco produces so many types of fossils and mineral nodules, but here’s what stands out:

Visible features

• Dark brown, rough, nodular surface

• Irregular, bulbous form

• Matrix-like texture, not crystalline

• A label reading “… MAROC”, confirming Moroccan origin

Most likely identifications

Based on the texture and color, it could be one of the following common Moroccan finds:

1. Fossilized coral or sponge

Morocco exports a lot of Devonian reef fossils. These often have:

• knobby, porous surfaces

• brown to reddish coloration

• irregular, mound-like shapes

2. A mineral concretion (iron-rich nodule)

Moroccan desert concretions often show:

• earthy brown tones

• rounded, organic shapes

• dense, heavy feel

3. A stromatolite fragment

These ancient microbial structures can appear:

• layered or lumpy

• brown and weathered

• irregular in form

Your specimen looks closest to fossil coral or an iron-rich concretion, but I can narrow it further if you show me a close-up of the texture.