Conglomerate or Concrete

[Rockwood]

This was found in 'Lonehunter creek', TX. The fossils there come primarily from Cretaceous marl, with other rocks washed downstream as well. It was also just downstream of a bridge, and the creek bed is littered with refuse.

Is it conglomerate or concrete ? 

If it is conglomerate, how ?

[Fossildude19]

Looks like iron stained concrete to me.

[diginupbones]

Have you tried a magnet? I have found a lot of old gears and pieces of machinery that look encrusted just like this. Looks like it could be a broken eyebolt of some sort. 

[Plax]

I was thinking a big washer. The rust begins to make a iron oxide concretion in cases like this. I've seen nails the diameter of a finger with sand and shell bits all around them.

[Rockwood]

3 minutes ago, Plax said:

I was thinking a big washer. The rust begins to make a iron oxide concretion in cases like this. I've seen nails the diameter of a finger with sand and shell bits all around them.

Bingo. Big hammer did the job.

Man made conglomerate it is. Thankyou.

[ClearLake]

I was going to ask if there was a donut shop nearby, but it looks like you have your answer already.

[JohnJ]

2 hours ago, Plax said:

I was thinking a big washer. The rust begins to make a iron oxide concretion in cases like this. I've seen nails the diameter of a finger with sand and shell bits all around them.

 

Yep.  Great explanation.

[Rockwood]

24 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

 

Yep.  Great explanation.

It should have been obvious to me, but to me a washer that thin would be nearly useless. I'm thinking it may actually be a spacer. They come in .001" increments, which are essential in certain applications. Such as where to parts need to run true to each other.

[JohnJ]

You're probably right.  I was referring more to the process of a manmade iron object creating a concretion.  From the Texas coast to any waterway headed that way, I've seen that ever expanding oxide engulf anything in the immediate proximity to form bizarre shapes. 

 

A rusty 'donut' is a bit heavy on the toppings for my taste.  

[daves64]

1 hour ago, JohnJ said:

A rusty 'donut' is a bit heavy on the toppings for my taste.  

Be one way to make sure you got your yearly allotment of iron & minerals.. and make your dentist happy to boot! 

[Plax]

2 hours ago, Rockwood said:

It should have been obvious to me, but to me a washer that thin would be nearly useless. I'm thinking it may actually be a spacer. They come in .001" increments, which are essential in certain applications. Such as where to parts need to run true to each other.

Didn't see pics of the exposed washer. They would give up some of their thickness to the iron oxide growth. One thousandth is extremely thin. I've worked with .004 and .006 inch plastic and it's almost nothing.

[Rockwood]

2 minutes ago, Plax said:

One thousandth is extremely thin. I've worked with .004 and .006 inch plastic and it's almost nothing.

You're confusing thickness with increments. You'd probably need to order a new part because I doubt any mechanical engineer would draw it up to require .001 spacers new, and shims would require some extremely expensive material to last long.

[Plax]

5 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

You're confusing thickness with increments. You'd probably need to order a new part because I doubt any mechanical engineer would draw it up to require .001 spacers new, and shims would require some extremely expensive material to last long.

You're talking about a round gauge of varying thickness I guess. I took spacer literally. Was going to say that a washer is a spacer! Semantics...

[Rockwood]

12 minutes ago, Plax said:

Was going to say that a washer is a spacer! Semantics...

No. They are entirely different things, both in shape and finish. They do look like washers but they are used for spacing things like gears on shafts or casings widths to other tolerances. In the latter they can be shaped like a gasket, but made from a different material.

[Plax]

1 hour ago, Rockwood said:

No. They are entirely different things, both in shape and finish. They do look like washers but they are used for spacing things like gears on shafts or casings widths to other tolerances. In the latter they can be shaped like a gasket, but made from a different material.

Well I was wrong about you stating it was a gauge. I better get out of this conversation while I can.

[Rockwood]

6 minutes ago, Plax said:

Well I was wrong about you stating it was a gauge. I better get out of this conversation while I can.

Believe it or not I learned a lot about this when I had an old field mower rebuilt. The mechanics came back with a odd look on their faces and explained that as near as they can tell this was made to run on a horse drawn mower. 

[diginupbones]

5 hours ago, JohnJ said:

From the Texas coast to any waterway headed that way, I've seen that ever expanding oxide engulf anything in the immediate proximity to form bizarre shapes. 

And sometimes it creates what I consider a work of art like this beautiful candle holder!

[Rockwood]

Looks like first and second gear maybe. Bet there's spacers in there. 

[ChristineR]

I swear I thought it was a fruitcake! 

[Rockwood]

44 minutes ago, ChristineR said:

I swear I thought it was a fruitcake! 

'tis almost the season. 

[ChristineR]

1 minute ago, Rockwood said:

'tis almost the season.

This specimen would have been from prior seasons, and considering how most are tossed out, not a completely unreasonable assumption. 

 

Will future Palio/anthropologists be puzzling over the plethora of fruitcake remains?

[Rockwood]

18 minutes ago, ChristineR said:

Will future Palio/anthropologists be puzzling over the plethora of fruitcake remains?

Naw. I'd just dunk it in my coffee and eat it.