2013 Find

[InterestedinFossils]

I had found this on the Yorkshire coastline in 2013, lying loose on the beach. This is a rectangular cuboid structure. Each end is relatively smooth. Three of the larger faces have a textured surface but the middle photograph is taken of the smooth end face which is slightly concave. The other which is an underside (since the specimen stands easily when rested on this side) is smoother but with some evidence of the same texturing but of a lower density than the other three surfaces.

 

Does anyone have an idea of what this is?

[JohnBrewer]

Welcome to the forum  

 

i think you have something geological rather rather than biological in origin. 

[InterestedinFossils]

Thanks for the quick and helpful response. The texture which differed and the cracks seemed a bit odd but it would be interesting to know what geological processes cause this.

[TqB]

It looks like an ironstone concretion with septarian structure - precise method of formation isn't known but it's basically shrinkage cracks filled with another mineral, probably calcite here.

Look up "septarian concretion".

[InterestedinFossils]

Thanks - checked out Septarian structure - interesting.

[Mark Kmiecik]

1 hour ago, InterestedinFossils said:

Thanks - checked out Septarian structure - interesting.

Yup, geological forces work in strange, mysterious and really, really annoying ways. The ones found in Texas are awesome. So many natural processes create things which look entirely fossil or man-made, even "alien" on occasion, but are entirely of geological origin. We have only begun to understand many of these phenomena in the last 100 years or so. Long ago, much of it was attributed to gods and demons and mythical creatures. Makes for a lot of interesting reading, most of which is relatively easy to understand even if you don't have a Phd in the field.

[InterestedinFossils]

... the field of geology probably wouldn't have started if humans weren't prone to looking for patterns in the world around them!