PSchleis Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Ok, clearly this isn't a fossil. I'm not a weapons person, but it looks like a bullet. So how about ideas on what happened here? How did it get in this compilation of geological and shell material, was it the heat of friction that caused the "sleeve" of debris part way down, is that a military bullet (and if so, what would it be doing on the East Coast - practice at a military base), etc. Anyway, just found washed up on Myrtle Beach. -- Paula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Looks like a pyrite replacement of a belemnite with a concretion around it. 3 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Military ammunition is steel so it's possible that concretion formed in an area where the jacket was compromised. @ynot Has already beat me to the more likely option though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Oxidation of the metal is cementing the sand and debris together around the bullet. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 24 minutes ago, Rockwood said: Military ammunition is steel None of the ammunition I have seen had any steel used to make it. The shell casing is brass or aluminum and the projectile is copper (and maybe some bronze). When a projectile is shot out of a gun it is moving faster than the speed of sound and will be marked and deformed when it hits something. There is no indications of high speed collision or deformations in this object. If the blob around this was from oxidation of a cartridge why is it not shaped more like a cylinder? Why does the "bullet" not show any sign of oxidation? One last observation, it would have to be a very high caliber for a bullet that big. To small for a 30mm machine gun and too big for a 50 caliber rifle. Was someone hunting elephants on the beach? 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 A look at the rest of it will make the distinction clear one way or the other I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf89 Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 44 minutes ago, ynot said: Looks like a pyrite replacement of a belemnite with a concretion around it. I have never heard of belemnites or cretaceous in general from myrtle beach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 1 minute ago, Wolf89 said: I have never heard of belemnites or cretaceous in general from myrtle beach Then it is probably not a belemnite, but it is not a bullet either. 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 4 minutes ago, ynot said: None of the ammunition I have seen had any steel used to make it. They are referred to as steel cased. I noticed the material is listed as bimetal copper. I would take that to mean copper coated steel coating. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 7 minutes ago, Wolf89 said: I have never heard of belemnites or cretaceous in general from myrtle beach Cretaceous sediments provided by the corp of engineers. Offshore dredging. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 1 minute ago, Rockwood said: They are referred to as steel cased. I noticed the material is listed as bimetal copper. I would take that to mean copper coated steel coating. I worked in cobra helicopter armaments, and saw all sorts of ammunition, but never saw a steel casing on a bullet. Some armor piercing bullets do have a steel tip on the projectile part. 2 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSchleis Posted January 19, 2019 Author Share Posted January 19, 2019 Ok here are a couple more closeups I was able to get of the tip, if it helps. Maybe it's not a bullet, but I have high confidence it's manmade. Maybe the decorate tip of something? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 13 minutes ago, ynot said: I worked in cobra helicopter armaments, and saw all sorts of ammunition, but never saw a steel casing on a bullet. Some armor piercing bullets do have a steel tip on the projectile part. It's what my grandfather called the surplus shells I used target practicing as a teenager. I found this on line to back it up. military classic Looking more bullet like by the way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 I did a quick internet search and found several mentions of people finding 50 caliber bullets on Myrtle Beach. The area was used for military training in the past. Not sure the time frame for the 50 caliber rounds at Myrtle Beach. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Thanks for the additional pics! The tip is clearly made of a somewhat ductile metal. It looks like a bullet, but I don´t know if it is on. But the tip is clearly a man-made object. Franz Bernhard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf89 Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Yeah I would say really worn 50 cal bullet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 37 minutes ago, ynot said: There is no indications of high speed collision or deformations in this object. A bullet fired up would only come down at terminal velocity. That wouldn't cause as much deformation as handling would in water would it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 You might want to find out what caliber @PSchleis 's fingers are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 I just found this Youtube video of a guy finding 50 caliber bullets and casings at Holden Beach NC. At 7:30 in the video he shows all his finds which includes several bullets in concretions. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6o4JMkoZ9k 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSchleis Posted January 19, 2019 Author Share Posted January 19, 2019 6 minutes ago, Al Dente said: I just found this Youtube video of a guy finding 50 caliber bullets and casings at Holden Beach NC. At 7:30 in the video he shows all his finds which includes several bullets in concretions. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6o4JMkoZ9k That's awesome!! Thanks, everyone. Just when I thought I'd seen it all on this beach.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 OK, I am wrong-- it is a bullet with an oxidized shell casing. 1 Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 I have never seen anywhere described or commented why the concretions are formed at the base of the bullets and not around the pointed end. I have two speculative ideas, but I'm curious about your opinions regarding to the phenomenon. Question: All of the bullets found in the same location have concretions or just some of them, considering they all are from the same historical time and have the same caliber? " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 3 hours ago, Wolf89 said: I have never heard of belemnites or cretaceous in general from myrtle beach I absolutely have and saw evidence of it just last weekend. We were in MB, SC, last weekend walking along the beach and found numerous Exogyra deposited with the dredge spoils. Clearly, they dredged through portions of the Cretaceous Pee Dee Formation during their beach renourishment efforts. There are also several known Pee Dee outcrops on the ICW around MB. 1 Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 40 minutes ago, abyssunder said: I have never seen anywhere described or commented why the concretions are formed at the base of the bullets and not around the pointed end. I have two speculative ideas, but I'm curious about your opinions regarding to the phenomenon. Question: All of the bullets found in the same location have concretions or just some of them, considering they all are from the same historical time and have the same caliber? The bullets may never have been fired. The powder advancing corrosion on the base end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 12 minutes ago, Rockwood said: The bullets may never have been fired. The powder advancing corrosion on the base end. So, you think the cartridges are still attached to the bullets? " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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