Artifact? Fossil?

[theviking]

Maybe dino poop.. Found this in a creek the other day while looking for artifacts, any ideas?
Thanks Viking.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You don't have a good closeup of the hole to see if we can see the drill marks, but from what I can see it is hard stone and I lean towards artifact....

 

[wilycreek]

Broken pipe bowl? Looks man made.

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

I disagree,dont think its man made.... Look at the marks inside the bowl... looks like a cronoid. and look at the hole in the first pic.... looks like fresh damage to the hole.... JMO ............ John

 

[Th3rty7]

I'm leaning towards pipe fragment myself judging from the picture. I don't see any fresh damage and it looks like it was drilled.

 

[SouthernGirl]

I don't know to me looks like a fossil but I would have taken it home.

 

[Tnmountains]

It kinda looks like a pebble pipe that was sand drilled? John might be right on with cronoid . To rule out fossil I would post it in the fossil section here on t-net and they will be able to tell you if it is a fossil. Be sure to come back to this thread though and let us know what they said.
Good luck and good eye ball find!!
TnMtns

 

[theviking]

Thanks for all the responses. Glad to see I am not the only one having a tough time with an I.D. Might be easier if it was not broken. I'll try posting it in the Fossil section and see what they say. Thanks again.

 

[ohio]

It was obviously reed drilled as a banner would be. Definitely an artifact and not a fossil or I will eat it.

Chuck

 

[Worthy55]

Saw it in the fossil thread and I am thinking artifact also .Pipe bowl or large bead? 8) 8) 8)

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

It was obviously reed drilled as a banner would be. Definitely an artifact and not a fossil or I will eat it.

Chuck

Chuck, my reed drilled artifacts are different than that.... It just doesn't look right to me based on what I've found in Mo. I am wrong all the time so it really doesn't bother me. I see artifacts all the time that are not like ours here..........If its reed drilled, was it all drilled from one side? I see no rings on the other, but just a smooth hole?? Plus look at the broke half ,see how it is smooth and shinney... I don't know... JMO... John

 

[theviking]

A closer look.. Maybe.

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

Thanks for the close up..... To me it is not reed drilled. Like I said I am wrong all the time.... How can that be drilled, becouse it expands at the base with the same marks.... Nothing like i've seen before.... Man I dont know.... thats about as honest as I can be about it... John

 

[theviking]

Thanks for the close up..... To me it is not reed drilled. Like I said I am wrong all the time.... How can that be drilled, becouse it expands at the base with the same marks.... Nothing like i've seen before.... Man I dont know.... thats about as honest as I can be about it... John
[/quote
Thanks for taking the time to help. We find alot of strange pieces around here.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Okay guys, here's my take. I don't think the marking we see are drill marks and I don't believe it was a Pipe for the simple fact that the hole is posistioned wrong. Just how would you smoke it with the hole on the bottom? It looks like a piece of concretion with either a Crinoid or a Horned Coral fossil exposed in the center.

Now here's the kicker. That doesn't necessarily mean it's not an artifact, especially if found on a site that regularly produces artifacts because they use these as Tinklers or Beads. I have one very similar to that one and a buddy of mine has one that has been drilled for suspension and used as either a Tinkler or Bead and that one could very well be the same thing.

 

[theviking]

Thanks for the info SRV. We have a few early camps around here and a Woodland palisade just down creek from our property.
The area does regularly produce artifacts and fossils. Thanks again for your take.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I would like to have seen a close up of the small hole, but after the close up of the "bowl", it doesnt look like it was drilled at all, but could have been used as a bead, odds are higher now that it is a fossil in my opinion.......

 

[ShowmeMoflint]

I am going with John and Steve's theory on this one thanks for sharing

 

[ohio]

Flintfinder of Mo. ,
I apologize if I sounded abrasive in my comment. I did not mean to sound like a jerk. Good luck out there to all.

Chuck

 

[dognose]

From the close-up, it appears to be a Concretion, possibly formed around a Crinoid, more than likely not.

The rings visible could be the layers which are the makeup of the Concretion as it is formed over years of stratification. The softer item the concretion formed around has eventually weathered out, resulting in the visible ring pattern. The item may of been in a position which enhanced the formation of the hole in the end where the concretion is thin.

In the late 70's in a very remote creek in the foot hills of the Ozarks I found what appears to be a fossilized egg. Every indication pointed to an egg, maybe a dinosaur egg. Taking it to many universities for study in Missouri and Indiana the egg theory was ruled out every time by those studying the item, and almost universally the item was ruled to be a Concretion. The end finding of Concretion was made every time without any indication of past findings, so the results were made without any bias towards or against a particular ruling.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion