A Real Mystery!!!!!

[Kassaundra]

I have quite an intriguing mystery. This post is completely honest and serious, not a joke. There has been an interesting rock in my back yard path for some time. I knew it was some form of petrified wood from what I could see exposed and have been meaning to dig it the rest of the way out and check it out for some time, well I finally got around to it yesterday. It is rock, it is cool to the touch and feels like rock and is hard and heavy like rock. By it's shape we wer...e thinking it is petrified branch or root or bone or maybe even poop. Upon cleaning it up (washing the dirt off) we noticed the metallic looking areas w/ vigorous scratching it can be flaked off, but not easily. Does anyone have a clue????? Do not post ideas until you have looked at ALL THE PICTURES, seriously there is an even bigger mystery in the pics. Feel free to share this post especially if you have some rock hound friends, we are fascinated and would like to know a real answer.

This side was the most exposed has less metallic but the lighter areas are really metallic

This side really made us think bone

This was the most buried and has the most metallic

One end, no real tree rings are obvious

The other end, no rings here either, but definitely a bone look except .............................................

Look closely, do you see it

There are letters in the rock!!!!!!!!

This is just to show size.

 

[digitS']

The letters look embossed to me.

Is that right, Kassaundra?

If so, wouldn't that suggest that this object came from a mold?

Steve

 

[Carol Dee]

 

[Smiles Jr.]

The first two pics above look as though the material was extruded under pressure. The fissures or cracks look just like some plastic extrusions I have seen. Or like the kids' playdough that has been extruded.

The metallic areas look like maybe wrinkled aluminum foil had been in contact with the material while it was in a soft state.

I don't see letters anywhere. Maybe if I stretch my imagination I could see one "Z" on the end view.

Let's keep working on it.

 

[so lucky]

What are the letters; can you make them out? and how long have you lived at your house?

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Have you tried to file it? Burn it? Saw it? Does it have an odor? Have you tasted it? Can you melt it with water, soap, alcohol, solvent, etc.? Can you bend it or will it break?

 

[so lucky]

My DH suggests an artificial log for a gas fireplace?

 

[Kassaundra]

The letters look embossed to me.

Is that right, Kassaundra?

If so, wouldn't that suggest that this object came from a mold?

Steve

The letters seem raised. We built here on the property 20+ years ago so it has been in the ground at least that long.

 

[Kassaundra]

The letters we can see are "cture"

 

[majorcatfish]

that is a very interesting find... whatever it is, it has been petrified. have there been other discoveries in your area of petrified items?? trees, dinosaurs etc?
you might want to send a couple photo's to the local university anthropology department bet they can tell what it is...

have you thought about digging further in the area to see if there's more?
whatever the outcome please keep us posted......