Very Round Natural Ball While Panning

[IowaRiverWalker]

Found on the clay layer of a small creek in a section of small rapids. Its heavy and "feels" solid all the way through. Smells like rust. I believe it is a "Moqui Marble" / "Shaman Stone" / Ironite Concretion. I guess it's formed by something mineralizing inside submerged sedimentary rock. But I don't really know. I bet many of you have found this type of thing and know much more about it.

 

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[Tpmetal]

No idea but really cool.

 

[ratled]

Looks like a stone cannon ball

 

[RustyGold]

Awesome find. My first thought was a healing stone that's rubbed between the palm and the body.

 

[Bodfish Mike]

Very cool find -- and I bet I know where it is right now (on your desk)
That's where I would have it.

 

[HardHatMatt]

Could also be a ball from a ball mill somewhere upstream.

 

[arizau]

Could also be a ball from a ball mill somewhere upstream.

Back in the mid 50's we visited friends in Telluride (at the time he was mill super for Idarado there) and he took us up a jeep road to an old mill site through town, up the mountain on the right hand side of the canyon if memory serves. We collected enough stone mill "balls" to fill a cracked, old crock which I think we also found there. The story he told us about the balls was that they were actually imported from Sweden. He also had found many power pole glass insulators that had turned dark purple in the sun over time. I still have one of the insulators but no stones.

Old memories of good times. Telluride at the time was mainly a mining town and has changed so much since then that I hate to go there anymore.

 

[Terry Soloman]

That is a Native American Game Ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, Great find! Look up the tribes in the area you found it in. https://www.google.com/search?q=nat....69i57j0l3.13809j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Goldfinger450]

There is a place near me we call the Upper falls on a small creek, the bedrock holes end up spitting out round balls of rock that start out as an odd shaped rock that goes round and round in these teacup holes I call them, I can get you a box full of them. Funny I was over on the Oregon coast and the tourist gift shops were selling Stone cannon Balls supposedly from square rigger ships, I could have sold a pickup load of the round stones for 20-$30 Each but I am an Honest guy and do Not take advantage of even Greedy gift shop owners.( yeah some of you might call me stupid).

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Goldfinger is right. I call them "boil holes" and they eventually spit out (sometimes) perfectly round rocks.

My grandpa found one that was about 10" in diameter. He packed it home and painted it black. Everybody thinks it's a cannon ball.
As kids we used it for a bowling ball.

Had your rock been found in a village site, you might have had a game ball. Since it was found in the stream bed - it's a boil ball.
Either way, that's probably the origin of your rock.

 

[cyberdan]

I believe it is a "Moqui Marble" / "Shaman Stone" / Ironite Concretion.

Don't think it is one of them. Here are some moquis I sold on feeBay. Some are roundish and some have a larger ring too. Some claim they are male or female. (the ugly one must be male)