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Breaks in chert


Vnaz50

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not sure what you’re referring to, but I’d suggest two possibilities: fossil remnants, like small brachiopods, or areas where a softer material was eroded away. Much Ontario chert is found as layers of nodules in soft sedimentary limestone or dolostone. It can have odd looking indentations, when the once-enclosing, much softer limestone is weathered away. I am fond of Ontario chert. Attached is a photo of a pretty one from the shores of Lake Huron, collected last week.

6DD271FE-7A64-4945-BB4D-DE74F63AA326.jpeg

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In the first picture there is a place at the top in the middle and at the bottom right corner. 
On the last picture it’s also at the bottom right. 
 

They look like very smooth circular breaks 

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Don't know if I'd call the circular area a break-looks more like an erosional feature. Still no fossils in this piece--just a black rock with some marginally interesting shaping.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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Quite likely. Circles and, in general, roundish forms are usually the result of erosional forces gradually knocking/wearing off the high points (sharp corners and edges) till rocks form rounded cobbles. This is commonly seen in river rocks and is the same principle used in rock tumblers to convert angular starting material into smoothly rounded polished stones.

 

I see no details in the structure to suggest this rounded rock is in any way a fossil. The texture seems to indicate some sort of sedimentary rock. Hard to see without a side view but it appears this has a flattened side. This could be from a more rounded cobble that broke through on a weaker bedding plane that sliced the rounded shape in two. That's my guess without having this rock in hand to inspect closer.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

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