GOMANTONG LIMESTONE

Major Rock Type: Sedimentary Rock
Lithology: Fossilferous Limestone
Formation: Gomantong Limestone Formation
Age: Early Miocene (22 – 15.9 million years ago)
Origin: Sukau Quarry, Kinabatangan, Sabah

* This beautiful rock display shows a younger version of the limestone from our collection, originated from Gomantong, in eastern Sabah.

* This rock is highly fossiliferous, containing coral-dominated framestone-boundstone (one of the type of limestone). Apart from coral, the rock is also dominated with marine shell fragments/clasts (bivalves, gastropods and serpulids), and nannofossils (not visible to naked eyes).

* It is also made of other living organism such as foraminifera and small crabs. It is very interesting to see that a rock is made up of living organism that have become fossil! This is a good example for a good reservoir, because the body (tissue) of the organisms have been decayed, leaving only the frame of the organisms which mostly empty and not been filled with other minerals. Hence it become void spaces that can store our natural resources (ie: petroleum and gas).