Rock Garden










Choffaticeras sp. cf. C. luciae
The ammonite on view belongs to genus Choffaticeras HYATT 1903, family Tissotiidae. The age of the fossil is the middle part of the Early Turonian. It is from the Yirka Fm. in the Upper Galilee, a few km. northwest of the town of Carmiel, reportedly rescued from a roadcut under construction.
This is a large adult specimen, with the body chamber forming most of the final whorl and the sutured phragmocone not well preserved. The large, flat keeled morphology with shallow umbilical region suggest affinity to C. luciae, but it is not possible to conclusively assign it to this species.

Blocks rescued from Miocene coral reefs in the Negev
The earlier Ziqlag Formation (ca. 15 m.y.) outcrops on the Shefela hills up to 500m, characterized by a diverse assemblage of faviid, stylophorid, and poritid corals. The later Pattish Reef (ca. 7 m.y.) outcrops at lower elevations and consists of rhodoliths topped by branching Porites. While both phases are coral-algal reefs, the earlier phase is more species-rich. The later phase reflects a depleted fauna due to the restricting Mediterranean prior to its desiccation.

Limestone Concretions
Limestone Concretions from the northern Negev

Volcanic bomb

Thalassinoides ichnogen.
Deposit feeding and dwelling traces (Crustaceans as possible tracemakers).
Sublittoral and deep marine turbidites.

Phosphate
Mishash Formation, Zin field

Block of Rudist
This partially silicified block, likely collected in northeastern Sinai in the 1970s, contains large elevator-type rudist bivalves forming interlocked, reef-like structures. Early silicification preserved honeycomb-like magnesian calcite shell walls and associated nerineid gastropods with screw-like columellae, including clionid sponge borings. The assemblage resembles Turonian outcrops from eastern Sinai, such as the Praeradiolites lewyi lewyi beds at Gebel er-Risha and the Wata Formation at Gebel Minshera.
