Mojave Desert Bladder Stone

[z10silver]

Found this partially submerged in the soil. Initially thought it was some kind of egg, but when I dug it out and felt how heavy it was I knew it was not. It is almost perfectly spherical, very smooth, and dense. There is a tiny nodule on one end (not visible in this photo). After doing some research, I suspect it is some kind of bladder stone, possibly struvite or oxalate. Bladder stones are common in canids and felines but other animals can get them too. (Click here for an examples). Just curious if anyone else has found similar stones, and if there is any way to judge age? Would be super cool if it came from, say, a dire wolf!

Edited February 13, 2013 by z10silver

[garyc]

picture?

[Bullsnake]

Round or not...OUCH!

[frenchy]

How heavy it is? Could it be made of steel? I found lots of these things with same size and form and with a hammer I found they are made of steel.

[z10silver]

Definitely not steel! Here is a shot of how it was found. I will get some more pictures up today. I'd say it weighs several ounces.

Edited February 12, 2013 by z10silver

[frenchy]

where did you found it? does it come from an industrial area?

[z10silver]

Nope, found it in the middle of the desert, no development in the area. Near the border of CA and NV. Here's some more photos showing the nodule and ring on one end.

Edited February 13, 2013 by z10silver

[garyc]

Here's a picture of one I found on line. Looks very similar. The caption that was with this one said it came from a rabbit. I can't think of any practical way to determine what yours came from. Edited February 13, 2013 by garyc

[RichW9090]

It appears to me to be manmade. I believe I see a mold seam, and what appears to be a mold vent mark or pour mark (the little nodule).

[z10silver]

Hmm, any ideas on what it could be if manmade?

[Rockwood]

It looks a lot like the concretions known as spirit stones that are found in the Cook Inlet near Kenai, Alaska.

[z10silver]

Think I figured it out - you guys were right, manmade after all... ceramic insulator ball!

Edited February 13, 2013 by z10silver

[jwcounts]

but what was it doing in the middle of the desert!?

[Auspex]

but what was it doing in the middle of the desert!?

Thinking about that, I set out to see what it might have been used for.

What I found only leaves a bigger mystery: LINK

[z10silver]

There are lots of old mines in the area. Maybe these balls could have been used in the processing of whatever material was being extracted? I'll see if I can find out more...

[squali]

Slingshot. Ammo?

[frenchy]

I found lots of these things with diferent form and size in a old ceramic industrial ground, so the hypothesis they are ceramic simulator ball seems to be right!

[frenchy]

The grinding ceramic balls has been widely used in ball mills as abrasive media for ceramic raw materials and glaze materials in ceramic factories, cement factories, enamel factories and glasswork owing to the excellence of high density, high hardness, high wear resistance.

Mine are made of steel and an exterior ceramic layer

[z10silver]

Mystery is solved - thanks!

[painshill]

Yep. They now come in every imaginable density and size. The ball-milling process only works efficiently if the balls are substantially larger and more dense than the pieces of material you want to grind down. Huge steel ones or high-tech ceramic ones with steel cores are used for ore-crushing and cement production. Smaller ones are used principally for producing fine powdered materials used as pigments for paints, clays for ceramics, fertilizers and soil dressings among others. In former times, ceramic ones were also used to make the individual components for black powder (gunpowder) and in wet processes for things like producing the emulsion that becomes a chocolate (candy) bar.

[Cole]

Neat. Thank you painshill for saving me a google search.

Cole~