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According to Google, all knowing and all wise..... "Eggshell is made almost entirely of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystals. It is a semipermeable membrane, which means that air and moisture can pass through its pores. The shell also has a thin outermost coating called the bloom or cuticle that helps keep out bacteria and dust." "Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate: CaCO3). It often has variable amounts of silica in it, as well as varying amounts of clay, silt, and sand. Limestone rocks fall under the category of sedimentary rocks that are made from mineral calcite." The question I pose is this, well there are several.......... If amphibian/reptile or bird species prefer to lay their eggs near water sources wouldn't it be a likely assumption that the permineralization of the eggshell would be reclaimed by the surrounding silicates while the inside turns to agate? Meanwhile, larger dinos layed their eggs in more forested inland areas and were not exposed to the same permineralization since there was less water exchange.? In the permineralization or petrification process, if an egg is in an undeveloped state would it agatize mostly transparent/opaque? What are, if any, the artifacts or features you guys look for beyond the obvious cracked shell on the exterior? I have looked but I have yet to find a good read that explains well what happens to eggs, soft tissue, and entire animals that are enveloped in volcanic mud flows. I just know there is a good read out there somewhere that gives a reasonable explanation to what happens to an animals remains as they fossilize. Maybe there isn't, I have yet to find the name of the guy that sat and watched it all happen. Does the blood cause the fe203 stain in a fossil? Do heavier minerals like Iron have a sedimentation characteristic during permineralization? Does displaced water content of the animal cause air pockets to form during permineralization? In nature, what causes living sources of silica to be in either crystalline or non-crystalline form? I have lot's more questions I'll do my best to google, but dang it's hard to find some of these answers. "Someone, out there on the net shouted. "Take a snarge class!"