Huntingtown MD unidentified finds?

[Chris Barth]

First-time poster here.  I found this curiosity in a stream leading to the bay in Huntingtown MD after the torrential rains.  Its solid, no wood material left. Very hard, not brittle.  The perfect slice is puzzling!  How could it transformed so quickly since the invention of the chainsaw or even a bow saw????   Threw one in of my son and a few of our almost private beach.

[Chris Barth]

I also found this odd striated looking piece.  Quartz material but strange wood like texture.  

[Miocene_Mason]

Welcome to the forum from Carroll County, MD! I heard that this crazy rain has exposed a few nice Megalodon teeth in Huntingtown rivers recently. Keep an eye out for those! Do be careful of flash floods though, they do happen. Your quartz wood is probably natural wear on agate (a silicate like quartz I believe), as there is no cell structure. This might be a horse or cow tooth though, hard to tell in these photos. 

[Chris Barth]

Yes, my son found part of a Megladon that same day.  My property backs up to the late Tom Clancy estate, a stream cuts through really productive layers.  I asked Clancy for permission years ago and he had no prob, now I have no idea who owns it

 

Normally I can find 20-30 teeth/bones in an hr. where  the stream flows into the bay. A few days ago after a torrential downpour I could hear a roar like a waterfall, never heard anything like it here.  Went to investigate and was astounded at the material churned up. Ive lived in Calvert for most of my life, explored the ravines/streams but never saw rounded quartz stones like the size that was revealed.  Always assumed Calvert was sand/clay/bog iron with small quartz pebble stones. 

[DSMJake]

Could that large piece be part of an old millstone? 

[Chris Barth]

Just now, DSMJake said:

Could that large piece be part of an old millstone? 

Good thinking but man, I really don't think so.  I'm no stranger to the chainsaw and it looks exactly like a slice off a round that was too long.   Its a hard sandstone stone/ compact sediment, not wet wood.  Heavy, probably 20lbs.    Not the agate type petrified wood found out west under volcanic tuff but more of a very hard sandstone.  You can even see a texture in the core that's exactly like what you would find in a tree. The bark seems to have disappeared.      

[Miocene_Mason]

I’m at a loss for your sandstone piece, But your son found a nice meg! 

 

[ynot]

First piece does not look right for petrified wood. The rings are to perfect and even.

Would like to see close up pictures of just that piece from both sides and the edges.

 

The sterations in the piece of quartz are typical of some vein quartz.

 

PS Chainsaw marks are usually straight not curved.

[DSMJake]

10 minutes ago, Chris Barth said:

Good thinking but man, I really don't think so.  I'm no stranger to the chainsaw and it looks exactly like a slice off a round that was too long.   Its a hard sandstone stone/ compact sediment, not wet wood.  Heavy, probably 20lbs.    Not the agate type petrified wood found out west under volcanic tuff but more of a very hard sandstone.  You can even see a texture in the core that's exactly like what you would find in a tree. The bark seems to have disappeared.      

I’m probably trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, but this is what I see. Great teeth by the way!

 

[Auspex]

There are garden paver stones made to look like wood rounds. Does the broken edge reveal an homogeneous composition, or does it show edge grain?

[Plax]

can we see the other side of the big piece and a close up of the edge?

[fossilnut]

plus 1 for mill stone. You have a real treasure trove of teeth. Nice

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum.  

 

 

The edges do not appear to have any wood grain to them.  

 

 

[Walt]

Keeping with the millstone theory, could we be seeing the faint outline of the mounting hole for the stone?

[Auspex]

25 minutes ago, Walt said:

Keeping with the millstone theory, could we be seeing the faint outline of the mounting hole for the stone?

Yup.
This was a sharpening wheel though, not a millstone.
It is old, and could be PLENTY old!

[Chris Barth]

Unfortunately, I tried to pressure was the other side!  Lol! Probably not the best idea but it did show how well it held up.   OK, the grindstone-theory is starting to make sense. What a PIA it had to be back then, I couldn't live without my diamond and tungsten carbide tools for sharpening metal edges!  

[Miocene_Mason]

I was confused for a while, I volunteer at a historic mill, and the stones they use are VERY different. French quartz held together with plaster of Paris. Not a millstone, perhaps a grinding wheel.

[Chris Barth]

3 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

Welcome to the forum from Carroll County, MD! I heard that this crazy rain has exposed a few nice Megalodon teeth in Huntingtown rivers recently. Keep an eye out for those! Do be careful of flash floods though, they do happen. Your quartz wood is probably natural wear on agate (a silicate like quartz I believe), as there is no cell structure. This might be a horse or cow tooth though, hard to tell in these photos. 

To my untrained eye it looks like a barnacle of some sort.  Hollow in the middle.  

 

I need to head back down to the stream without the kids and dogs.  Too distracting to really do some hunting. I probably passed up tons of treasures! 

[ynot]

I agree that is is a grinding stone.

[Chris Barth]

3 hours ago, DSMJake said:

I’m probably trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, but this is what I see. Great teeth by the way!

 

Nope, you nailed it!  Round peg in round hole.   Back in the day this area was all farmland, the nearest ravine was the local landfill.  A farmer probably tried to upgrade from his old hit and miss motor to a PTO driven contraption, too many RPM's and it flung itself apart. Lol!  

 

Gotta post some pics of my finds one day, I have tons of interesting stuff.  I've found plenty but my father was a real fossil hound, he has a few carboys full of sharks teeth/fossils.  It's just amazing that the fossils that are found come from such a small slice of fossil-bearing strata revealed in the cliff edges and streams.  Just imagine what lies beneath!  Mindblowing if you think about it.  

[Miocene_Mason]

21 minutes ago, Chris Barth said:

Gotta post some pics of my finds one day, I have tons of interesting stuff.

I’d love to see that!

[Peat Burns]

2 hours ago, Chris Barth said:

Nope, you nailed it!  Round peg in round hole.   Back in the day this area was all farmland, the nearest ravine was the local landfill.  A farmer probably tried to upgrade from his old hit and miss motor to a PTO driven contraption, too many RPM's and it flung itself apart. Lol!  

 

Gotta post some pics of my finds one day, I have tons of interesting stuff.  I've found plenty but my father was a real fossil hound, he has a few carboys full of sharks teeth/fossils.  It's just amazing that the fossils that are found come from such a small slice of fossil-bearing strata revealed in the cliff edges and streams.  Just imagine what lies beneath!  Mindblowing if you think about it.  

[Walt]

2 hours ago, Chris Barth said:

 

Gotta post some pics of my finds one day, I have tons of interesting stuff.  I've found plenty but my father was a real fossil hound, he has a few carboys full of sharks teeth/fossils.  It's just amazing that the fossils that are found come from such a small slice of fossil-bearing strata revealed in the cliff edges and streams.  Just imagine what lies beneath!  Mindblowing if you think about it.  

(Hurry) 

[Chris Barth]

Got some more stuff from the recent exposures.  My wife found a great meg just lying there.  I'm sure tons more are waiting. My four legged buddy is a great digger, just wants to help!    https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZtRTy5gNBvbTx9479

Edited July 28, 2018 by Chris Barth

[Miocene_Mason]

34 minutes ago, Chris Barth said:

Got some more stuff from the recent exposures.  My wife found a great meg just lying there.  I'm sure tons more are waiting. My four legged buddy is a great digger, just wants to help!    https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZtRTy5gNBvbTx9479

That looks like an amazing site! Your lucky to have it, Hunt it while you can. Three great megs, and a nice cookie (cetacean vertebra epiphysis scientifically speaking).  They come from a juvenile whale, dolphin, or porpoise vertebra. Looks like St. Mary’s formation is exposed there