Unknown specimen ID

[Zero]

I have been studying (ie buying, selling, trading) rocks for a few years now and I received this in a trade. I’ve been wondering what it is ever since but recently I watched Ninja Scroll: The Series and the dragon stone reminded me of this so I went and dug it out and now I’m a bit obsessed and still don’t know what it is after googling fossils for hours. Could it be a fossilized pine cone? My guess is it’s agate but that’s all I can tell. I don’t have any idea where it was found or the origin and have lost contact with the person I got it from. Any ideas you have about it are appreciated.

[Fossildude19]

Welcome to the Forum.  

That's an interesting specimen. 

It looks like an ironstone concretion, or septarian nodule, to me. 

Wait around for a few more replies, though.   

Regards,

 

[grandpa]

I also would like to say "Welcome to TFF".  This looks like a "thunder egg" to me.  See:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderegg

[Creek - Don]

I have several of these Septarian nodules I recently collected from Trinity river in Dallas.  One shown on your picture looks worn or smooth.

[Zero]

Thanks for the warm welcome:) I googled thunderegg and did find some that look very much like my specimen. I can’t imagine cutting the one I have in half though. It looks so cool as is. The ornate band around the middle almost seems man-made, it’s so geometric. Nature is awesome. Thanks for all the replies! This is a very cool forum, glad I found it. Have a great day!

[Ludwigia]

I don't think that this is a thunderegg. I'm in the ironstone concretion camp.

[Zero]

How can I tell the difference? It doesn’t make red marks on paper, so it’s not Hematite. It is reddish in color but I’m not sure how to identify ironstone. Thanks!

[Pemphix]

some kind of (ironstone-) concretion imo.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Not thunder egg. Ironstone concretion. I would have collected it too. Very interesting specimen. I wouldn't cut it or break it open unless I was absolutely sure I could find more just like it.