Identification help

[j4b1]

I believe this to be a fossilized egg of some kind.

I found it in a deep hole of a local Creek that has a rock bottom while searching for Indian artifacts. I originally thought it was a game ball of sorts due to it being polished. Although I couldn't account for exterior material. I tossed it in one of my rock boxes and forgot about it until I saw it again today. I scratched at the material that partially covers the exterior and a piece flaked off leading me to think that it is not a game ball.

[j4b1]

[Ludwigia]

Sorry to say this, but that is not an egg, but rather a concretion. The form makes one think that it could be an egg, but there should be signs of shell on the surface, which is not evident. I think that erosion "polished" it. A little information to stratigraphy and/or precise location would be helpful.

[Fossildude19]

I have to agree with Roger - this is not an egg. I see no eggshell texture. 

I'm assuming "local" means it was found in Indiana. 

This geologic map of Indiana indicates there are no geologic layers of the correct time periods to have produced an egg fossil. 

Having been found in a creek bed means that it could have been moved/placed there by natural water actions, or by human intervention.

 

I think what you have there is a chert nodule. They are often present in limestone and other sedimentary rocks.  The outer layer is just matrix from the area it came from stuck to it. 

Chert nodules are often oval or spherical in shape, and often posted here as eggs. 

Regards,

 

 

 

[j4b1]

Here's a satellite view of where I found it. It was in a deep hole (3-4ft) located right after the bend in the creek on the near side of the bend. The creek is primarily sandstone in nature. It's the primary water shed for the southwestern part of the state draining into the Ohio River. 

I appreciate your help and advice.

On a side note* There's an area not far from here (Bullocktown,Ind.) that is known locally for producing some beautiful Trilobite specimens. I've seen a couple that were 4-5in in length.

Also to the west of my location in the 

(Wadesville area) there's an abundance of  (fern?) leaf imprint fossils. I realize these are minor finds with limited sources but it's better then none at all. Now this area is heavily abundant with Native American artifacts.

Again thank you for assisting me... 

[Max-fossils]

Hello @j4b1!

 

Sorry to say, but that can't be an egg...

And as previously said by @Fossildude19, and as can be seen with his geological map (which is great!), hard-shelled eggs as we know them (eg: bird eggs, dino eggs, reptile eggs, etc.) weren't invented by nature yet at that time. You say also that there are some nice trilobites discovered not far from your creek. That is surely true. And yes, trilobites laid eggs, but they didn't grow much bigger than  50 µm (look at this great post by the trilobite expert @piranha on this forum). 

So there is no possible way that your rock is an egg. So what you found is just a concretion, or rock. Now I don't know anything about Native Americans and their artifacts, but if you found that "ball" in an area known for those artifacts, then maybe that rock was used as some kind of "relic" or something like that by them; or perhaps the children held competitions about who can throw it the furthest, etc. So it is possible that your rock was used by native Americans, but there is no way to be sure. But I think it's still a nicely shaped concretion, so just keep it, I would say!

 

Good luck finding more artifacts!

 

Best regards,

 

Max