An igneous rock discovered during an oil drill in southern Illinois was donated to the University of Southern Indiana by CountryMark. 

“Rocks like this one have been reported in the area since the 1950s, but they are exceedingly susceptible to weathering,” said Dr. Tony Maria, associate professor of geology. “I have searched for many outcrop localities, mostly in southern Illinois, that were described several decades ago, and found none. This core is special because it samples the entire width of the intrusion and because it is as un-weathered as you can get, as if it was just drilled out of the Earth.” 

Maria plans to study the core in collaboration with faculty members and students. 

“This core represents a tremendous learning experience for potentially many students,” he said. “With some hard work, we should be able to make significant contributions to our understanding of the mantle and melting events associated with rifting in the New Madrid Fault region.”