Any Idea of What These Are?

[northwren]

I dug these up in my back yard while trying to plant a shrub. The ground is very hard. They are spheres and the outermost layer crumbles, but the inner layers are hard. The center looks like little clumps of charcoal and they are loose. Im finding the clumps of charcoal throughout the dug up soil. I live in Butte County California.

 

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[Kray Gelder]

They are concretions. Now how did they form? I imagine some time long ago, your home site experienced a brush or forest fire. The aftermath left the ground covered with ash and cinders. Then the rains came and the inevitable mudslide covered the burned plant material. Over thousands of years ( or millions ) the minerals leaching through the soil, formed around the little clumps of debris. Voila! Rock balls with charcoal in the middle.

Concretions are found throughout the world, containing all sorts of interesting things.

 

[northwren]

That is the best explanation I've heard! I live in Magalia, which is also called Paradise Pines as it borders the town of Paradise, Ca. My home, unlike most of the people I know, survived the 2018 "Camp Fire". The fire took 85 lives, and burned over 14,000 residences. I know that these were not a result of such a recent wildfire, but I posted the photos on Facebook, and many of the "survivors" who have moved out of the area suggested that the fire may have caused this. It will be nice to let them know that they were partialy correct, and that their ancestors just might be digging some of these up on their burned properties in, oh, a thousand years or so!!
Thank you so much for this information! Would you mind if I screen shot your answer and share it on Facebook?

 

[northwren]

The funny thing is...I've been working tediously at exposing the inhabitant of another concretion. It has a crab in its center and I have been gently working around it for months now. You would think I would have recognized the ones I dug up as such. Perhaps it was the abundance of them in one place that threw me. Now that I know how common they can be, I think Ill hunt for more!! The only problem is that the ground around these is very, very hard and compacted. I might need to hire a back hoe to make my "yard work" a bit easier!

 

[Kray Gelder]

Northwren, my explanation is speculation, you understand. I think it fits, however. Cool stuff! I'm happy you survived the Camp fire, and sorry for for neighbors. Good luck to you.

 

[Kray Gelder]

That is the best explanation I've heard! I live in Magalia, which is also called Paradise Pines as it borders the town of Paradise, Ca. My home, unlike most of the people I know, survived the 2018 "Camp Fire". The fire took 85 lives, and burned over 14,000 residences. I know that these were not a result of such a recent wildfire, but I posted the photos on Facebook, and many of the "survivors" who have moved out of the area suggested that the fire may have caused this. It will be nice to let them know that they were partialy correct, and that their ancestors just might be digging some of these up on their burned properties in, oh, a thousand years or so!!
Thank you so much for this information! Would you mind if I screen shot your answer and share it on Facebook?

You're welcome to share my answer, with my disclaimer mentioned above.

 

[docweiser]

Rock balls with charcoal in the middle.

Best answer I've heard in a long time!

 

[northwren]

Okay, now Im a bit confused. It rained last night and this morning they crumble. They were really hard, but wet, they crumble.
My crab concretion is very hard, even when wet...
Maybe they aren't concretions?
The red colored material is "waxy" almost...

 

[Kray Gelder]

Concretions need to begin soft, then harden with time, I suppose. Yours are just youngsters, probably. Maybe they're clay concretions, versus a tougher iron oxide that bonds the whole thing together.