mickiver Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Found this years ago while putting down sod in a yard in Eastern South Dakota. It didn't look like any of the other rocks in the area. I think it might be an egg. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Not an egg ... It looks metallic Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickiver Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Definitely not metal. It weighs about the same as a AA battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I agree that it not an egg but what it is, I do not know! It looks likes those images were taken with the flash on? I see a glare. In your third photo could you take a sharp pic of just that area (the brownish looking part?) It looks a bit different than the rest but I just can't tell from your pics.. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickiver Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 It is hard to see anything without the flash on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I am afraid I just can't tell.. Thanks for taking more pics. Do you have a magnifying glass? Can you see anything? In your second (original post) pic I can see what look like lighter area running through part of it.. The only other suggestion I can think of is to take some shots outside in natural light.. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave pom Allen Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 maybe a fossil pearl .just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeDOTB Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Not an egg. Are you sure it's not metallic? Have you found any other fossils/artifacts in your yard? At first glance to me it looked like a musket ball. Lol DO, or do not. There is no try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Also thought maybe a musket ball. Have you tried a magnet to see if it is magnetic? If it is an egg this would be an internal mold perhaps since I can see any evidence for shell (the small broken piece doesn't reveal a shell) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I suggest the artifact is man-made and not a fossil. Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Was the area ever covered by glaciers? Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 maybe a fossil pearl .just a thought. There are some posted on Oceans of Kansas site.. Just scroll down a bit. Interesting. I have only seen a few here on the forum. http://www.oceansofkansas.com/fieldguide5.html Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toren Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Maybe a gizzard stone??? if there was smiley that shrugged its shoulder i would of used it ...lol.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeDOTB Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Does resemble one of the examples from the pictures on the website. DO, or do not. There is no try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 certainly not an egg. Eggshell has characteristic texture that this thing lacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickiver Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 To catch up with answers: I don't see any change of color running through it. The pictures I've posted are as good as I can get. There was glacial activity in Easter South Dakota, several actually. It is mineral, not metal. I didn't find anything else at the time. It being pitch black made it stand out. When I found it, it had a small amount of calcium "slag" on it that I removed. It made me think it had to be very old, and in a wet environment at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLB Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 Possibly a pearl fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 It would be an awfully big pearl... If it is a naturally occurring object, I do not know what it might be. It would be nice to determine what it is made of; if rubbed on a piece of unglazed porcelain, what color streak does it leave? Can it be scratched by a copper penny? By a knife? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickiver Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Assuming it is an awfully big fossil pearl, is there a fossil pearl expert in the United States? Is there a way to certify that it is or is not a fossil pearl? I've considered that it could have been an indian marble, however, the calcium "slag" that I removed makes me think it woud probably pre-date any known human habitation in the area. It would have been a poorly made marble at that, compared to what I've seen on the internet. The attached photo is an example of fossil pearls from the web site http://fossil.pearl.4t.com/ingles.html. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I still suggest its man-made Another possibility is man-made milling balls for crushing rock and or other media mechanically. LINK Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Looks like a lead "Minnie ball" to me. Can you cut into it with a knife? "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickiver Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Again, it is not metal. I can't cut it with a knife, by hand anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Well ... one thing is for sure It's not an obvious fossil. Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 tecktite?? fossil hail stone? "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batty Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Don't know if trees from that area had round nut type seed pods like over here but it's a thought. Maybe palm tree seed?? Or jacaranda type?? Also apparently pearls dissolve in vinegar, don't know about fossil ones though. Been tempted to try it with one from a broken braclet lol. Edit: just tried the pearl/ vinegar experiment and got bubbles, it would take a while but it would work. Please don't try with fossilized pearls or your wives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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