alainaflute
Greg
Jody
E.G.D.What the heck?
Posted by Jody on January 18, 2013
I just received a note from Tonya who was lucky enough to be on the beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina last weekend. She found this very interesting looking beach treasure at Hatteras and tells me: “It was on the beach along with some other odd looking shells I never have seen.”
Tonya’s Beach Treasure from Hatteras, North Carolina
Let’s have some fun!
Can anyone identify this peculiar looking beach find for Tonya? Thank you for playing along!
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Be sure to check out some of the other responses in the comment section below!
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nutsfortreasure said
Not sure what it is called but since we spend so much time on the coasts of USA we find amazing things. We often find clumps of melted junk others dump at sea Lead, Copper, Slag and it gets mixed up with shells, brink you name it we soak ours just in case there is lost pirate silver coins inside 🙂 Mel Fisher didn’t find it all 🙂
Jody said
I like your style! It does look like some sort of conglomeration butI didn’t consider the possibility of lost pirate treasure!!
nutsfortreasure said
🙂 we NEVER throw it out till we know what is INSIDE 🙂 we have so many buckets of treasure that soak in fresh water till it gets soft enough 🙂
kentiki said
I think it’s a concretion. I have something similar. Not sure how it’s made though.
Jody said
Thank you! That’s good to know!
Ryan McLin said
This is a large hunk of limestone that must have torn from the seabed in a high energy storm event. Perhaps the recent hurricane that whipped by and slammed into New Jersey. I would classify it as a wackestone-limestone using the Dunham,1962 classification scheme. It characterizes fossil grains >10% hosted by a lime-mudstone matrix. I hope this helps!
Ryan-Petroleum Geologist/Petrologist.
Jody said
Ryan, you’re the best! Thanks so much for your help!
Tonya Griffin said
Wow Ryan that is very deep, but what does it mean to me?? LOL. Is it worth anything?? If not I am going to do what is suggested by the previous reply and let it soak and see if there is pirate booty in there!! Can’t wait to hear the answer.
Ryan McLin said
Perhaps a garden conversation piece? All rocks have a story to tell. You can certainly imagine the kind of wave energy to rip something up and carry it on. Normal wave base goes only so deep, but storm wave base goes deeper. It really depends upon the height of the wave above surface. Now you can imagine the distance below the surface is almost as equal. 15-20 foot waves can really scour something out deeper off shore past the reefal slope. Enjoy the beach finds!
alainaflute said
Fancy! 😉
Celia said
Thank god for scientists like Ryan. I really like the idea of this post. We find all sorts of stones on the Michigan shore of Lake Michigan and I keep them hoping to find out more about them someday. . .
Jody said
🙂 Isn’t this fun?
Jody said
Feel free to send some photos our way! Since we’re specifically a beach site we may be able to get the answers for you!
Please consider a guest post? We love to share!
Celia said
Jody,
We have beach finds in our Michigan house dating back to the 60s, so maybe I will!
Celia
seapunk2 said
Sandstone with fossil and/or shell inclusions.
How heavy is it? What does the specimen feel like?
I think I can see a shell imprint.
Tell us more! Turn it over!
Jody said
Good questions! I’m hoping for more photos from Tonya. When they come I’ll definitely add them to the post!
kiwiskan said
Fossiliferous rock
Jody said
Oooooh! Now there’s a new vocabulary word! 🙂 Thank you!
Rolling Harbour said
A chunk of prehistoric rock of who knows what type and age (Jurassic?), with shell fossils? Besides the obvious large one there are 3 or 4 clear candidates and more than a dozen in all, including fragments. Just a guess… RH
Jody said
Wow, you sound like you really know your stuff! Both my oldest daughter and her husband are geologists. You’d think some of that would have rubbed off on me! Thanks so much for the input!
Fossillady said
Looks to be limestone with embedded shell imprint of a brachiopod! We find stuff similar along Lake Michigan Beaches left over from extinct shallow ocean.
Jody said
Thank you, Fossil Lady! That’s great to know!
Sue said
Is it Fulgorite?
E.G.D. said
Ooooh. I’ll have to look into that! Thanks for the idea.