Large Holes in Large Rocks

[Austin Turtleback]

Today near the convergence of two very small/dry creekbeds, I found these two large limestones with large holes/depressions. The sides are rough and dimpled and the basins are smooth. Lots of chert cobble around and some flakes.

Any ideas?

 

[Target1972]

Could have been used as some ceremonial bowl? Have heard of one in Indiana that is believed to have been used for that purpose.

 

[Neanderthal]

Those are likely natural. When water saturated rocks around a wet area freeze, they do that sometimes. Here's a couple of pics that I took of a rock on the Arkansas River that had just happened to - you can see the "pot lids" still laying there with it.

 

[MAMucker]

Case solved. Those photos came in handy.
Good work Neanderthal.

 

[Austin Turtleback]

Plausible except it rarely freezes in Austin, Tx. i.e. 5 days in 2019 hit 32 and zero below freezing. Of course who knows what the daily temps were back before recorded time.

 

[MAMucker]

Plausible except it rarely freezes in Austin, Tx. i.e. 5 days in 2019 hit 32 and zero below freezing. Of course who knows what the daily temps were back before recorded time.

That’s true. Context will help here.

Looking at those pictures again left me with a few more observations.

The sides (or walls) of the depressions on 1 & 3 look almost 90 degrees (vertical). This is odd for a stone that is presumed to be man made. Did you say they are limestone? Number 2 on the other hand looks pecked. But it would be smooth from use? I don’t know.

Just playing detective here: All three have a very sharp edge along the rim. Would that be consistent with a man-made bowl. I don’t know.

SOME indentations are NA. MOST are natural. Not all NA made indentations were used for food grinding.

Target1972 makes a great point about ceremony use.

I have seen a small fire pit on a solid stone plateau at a well documented NA site here in MA. Fire can also pop a “lid” as well. The feature I saw was created by Fire on the same spot continuously over many years. The end result is a large roughed-out round bowl-shaped pit. It is still used by the Wampanoag descendants to pay tribute their ancestors.

 

[Austin Turtleback]

So interesting.
What do you make of the long scrapes on the outside of pic1?

 

[MAMucker]

So interesting.
What do you make of the long scrapes on the outside of pic1?

I see mineralization.