ID'ing a potential fossil

[kilteddispatcher]

Hello there everyone! I found this site while looking for resources to ID what my wife suspects is a fossil.  We acquired it cleaning out a house that was bought 'as-is' by a relative.  - it was on a brick fireplace with some other interesting rocks including a huge piece of obsidian.  She swears it looks like a dinosaur egg. I don't see it but agreed to look into it. It's about 10 inches long by 5 inches thick at the thickest point and shaped kinda like a football. Thanks very much for your time and expertise. 

 

 

[thelivingdead531]

Though vaguely egg-shaped, I don’t think it’s an egg.

[kilteddispatcher]

Just now, thelivingdead531 said:

Though vaguely egg-shaped, I don’t think it’s an egg.

I'm personally inclined to agree - I think the sort of layered separation on the right of the photos is what made her think it was something other than a lump of stone - anyone have the geology knowledge to explain it as a mineral?

[thelivingdead531]

2 minutes ago, kilteddispatcher said:

I'm personally inclined to agree - I think the sort of layered separation on the right of the photos is what made her think it was something other than a lump of stone - anyone have the geology knowledge to explain it as a mineral?

I would start here, it’s very informative and may answer more questions that you have. 

 

[kilteddispatcher]

2 hours ago, thelivingdead531 said:

I would start here, it’s very informative and may answer more questions that you have. 

 

 

Okay so I'm agreeing with it looking like a concretion. Would there be any reason to try to have it split? Could it contain a geode or other interesting mineral?

[thelivingdead531]

1 minute ago, kilteddispatcher said:

Okay so I'm agreeing with it looking like a concretion. Would there be any reason to try to have it split? Could it contain a geode or other interesting mineral?

That I have no real answer to, but in my opinion what do you have to lose by doing so?   I say go for it if you want. I should add that you may also want to wait for more opinions, just in case I’m wrong. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

If the shell was that thick, the embryo would need a jackhammer to get out.

[Rockwood]

Weathered concretion.

Hydration, the incorporation of water into the rock structure, is typically what produces the shell like appearance. 

[Rockwood]

9 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

If the shell was that thick, the embryo would need a jackhammer to get out.

Well they are usually issued one as standard equipment. The egg tooth.

It would need to be an exceptionally tough cutting tool in this case, I agree. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

14 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Well they are usually issued one as standard equipment. The egg tooth.

It would need to be an exceptionally tough cutting tool in this case, I agree. 

An oviraptor would probably look for an easier meal.