Lead sheathing, spikes and a strange fossil/ petrified object that responds like iron

[Jolly Mon]

Got out for a little zero visibility work with the Aquapulse today.

The sheathing fragments are definitely lead...which leads me to believe they may be from a very early vessel...before 1690?? I could be wrong on this...experts please chime in...

The object that looks like a chunk of wood is the real stumper, though.
It is very heavy for its size...when I found it I could not see it and so I thought it was just a chunk of iron.
When I got back into the boat at the end of the day I looked at it...and thought sure it was a chunk of fossilized bone...not uncommon in the area it was found. I turned back on the detector and sure enough, the Aquapulse picked it up, though not nearly as strongly as it would a normal iron object of its size. I started looking a little closer and now I am thinking it is possibly some sort of wood that has petrified or mineralized in some way so as to be detectable. Let me state clearly: this thing is hard as a rock. I tested it with my Xterra 70 and it reads a dead -8...in other words, pretty much pure iron. But it is completely non-magnetic !!

I know that fossils can be formed by minerals gradually replacing organic matter over time, but I have never heard of a piece of wood or bone (I am still not sure which) becoming fossilized and replaced by iron. Has anyone heard of such a thing?

 

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[huntsman53]

Nice finds! I don't know anything about the lead fragments. However, I do believe that you found a piece of bone! As far as it showing as iron, bone have marrow in them and marrow contains iron and the iron in the bone could have undergone a change when it became petrified. There is also the possibility that it was stuck under or up against a cannon or other iron object for nearly 300 years and absorbed some of the iron oxide and the piece of iron rusted and degraded. The color of the end of the bone leads me to believe that the latter is the case! Even if it is wood and not bone, the same may be the case.


Frank

 

[Jolly Mon]

Nice finds! I don't add anything about the lead fragments. However, I do believe that you found a piece of bone! As far as it showing as iron, bone have marrow in them and marrow contains iron and the iron in the bone could have undergone a change when it became petrified. There is also the possibility that it was stuck under or up against a cannon or other iron object for nearly 300 years and absorbed some of the iron oxide and the piece of iron rusted and degraded. The color of the end of the bone leads me to believe that the latter is the case! Even if it is wood and not bone, the same may be the case.


Frank

Thanks for the input. I think you must be on the right track. You got me thinking a little bit and I tested the thing with my Garrett pro-pointer and got a consistent signal over the entire surface area, front and back...the iron must have replaced the original material pretty completely, yet not enough to support magnetism.

 

[PhipsFolly]

Bone from dinosaur that liked spinach?
Sorry man... Had to do it... Lame, I know, but just had to...

 

[huntsman53]

Thanks for the input. I think you must be on the right track. You got me thinking a little bit and I tested the thing with my Garrett pro-pointer and got a consistent signal over the entire surface area, front and back...the iron must have replaced the original material pretty completely, yet not enough to support magnetism.

If you can take the piece to an Archaelogical/Anthropology department of a University or even Museum, they should be able to tell you if it is wood or bone. In any case, I would definitely return to the site to look for the Iron obeject involved with the change. You could have a much more rewarding day!


Frank

 

[GatorBoy]

It looks like a section of fossil giant tortoise shell that became mineralized in soil with high iron content.
You pretty much answered your own question.

 

[GatorBoy]

I find fossil shark teeth occasionally that read on my detector.

 

[Jolly Mon]

OK, we will roll with that hypothesis...I have found many strange things that respond to a metal detector...old bricks, ballast rocks, etc...just never a fossil. I did not realize it was common.

 

[huntsman53]

OK, we will roll with that hypothesis...I have found many strange things that respond to a metal detector...old bricks, ballast rocks, etc...just never a fossil. I did not realize it was common.

Jolly Mon,

Considering the geology of the Florida Coasts and their' make-up, it is doubtful that there are significant deposits of Iron where you found the piece. Therefore, the introduction of Iron to rust and decompose which would be absorbed by the object, had to come from somewhere or something and I believe that somewhere or something, is an Iron piece from an old shipwreck!


Frank

 

[GatorBoy]

Good luck with that..
You should see our well water.
The side of my house is orange because of the iron content.
I don't know where you learned about Florida geology.
Anyway nice finds.

 

[Jolly Mon]

Jolly Mon,

Considering the geology of the Florida Coasts and their' make-up, it is doubtful that there are significant deposits of Iron where you found the piece. Therefore, the introduction of Iron to rust and decompose which would be absorbed by the object, had to come from somewhere or something and I believe that somewhere or something, is an Iron piece from an old shipwreck!


Frank

Actually, I did not find these items on the Treasure Coast. I found them in South Carolina. I don't know where the iron content came from to mineralize the fossil, but I am almost certain I have located quite an old vessel of some sort. I have a large rounded cobble ballast pile, the spikes and the lead sheathing. There are no natural rocks of any size in this area of South Carolina, but I have a big pile of fairly large rounded cobbles---there is no doubt I have a vessel of some sort...just trying to nail down the age and determine exactly what it is...not being able to see anything makes the process much more difficult and time consuming. The water tends to clear up a bit in the winter...and I might get a foot or two of visibility on really good days...we will see...

 

[GatorBoy]

Best of luck to you.. very interesting finds for sure. I hope you come up with a nice big reale with clear markings on your next trip.

 

[huntsman53]

Good luck with that..
You should see our well water.
The side of my house is orange because of the iron content.
I don't know where you learned about Florida geology.
Anyway nice finds.

Well! I maybe wrong but I was always under the impression that much of the rock on the ocean floor around Florida's coasts, especially the East coasts down through the Florida Keys were primarily Limestone due to dead Coral. I did not say inland but it doesn't really matter since the O.P. found the items on or off the South Carolina coast. Oh and by the way, a lot of the homes in Key West with Stucco exteriors also show a lot of orange on the bottom 1/3rd of the walls but I believe this is due to the old rusted water and sewer pipes that plaque the island.


Frank

 

[GatorBoy]

Yeah..it doesn't really matter now but..that fossil came from a giant land tortoise that was alive before the reef your referring to existed and that section of ocean floor was dry land.
Same with Florida.

 

[Salvor6]

The orange color comes from sulfur.

 

[GatorBoy]

OK..have fun guys.
Iron is orange..there is so much it reads on the detector... but it must be from non metallic yellow and white sulfur.
Have you ever smelled "eggs" when an irrigation system was running? That's from sulfer in a totally different layer than the iron..it's drilled to that depth specifically to avoid the orange staining from iron.

 

[huntsman53]

For me, the verdict is still out on what it is! I just hope that Jolly Mon will take it to a nearby University with an Anthropology/Archaelogical Department to have it checked out and tested if needed!


Frank

 

[Salvor6]

If Jolly Mon takes his artifact to a nearby University with an Anthropological/Archaeological dept. then he will never see his artifact again.

The best thing he can do is post pictures of it on this forum because there are members here with a lot more knowelege of local artifacts than any local University.

 

[huntsman53]

If Jolly Mon takes his artifact to a nearby University with an Anthropological/Archaeological dept. then he will never see his artifact again.

Why? He found it on or off the coast of South Carolina! Are the Laws and Rules governing archaelogical/anthropological finds simlar there as in Florida?


Frank

 

[Jolly Mon]

I have a hobby diver license from the SCIAA. It is a really cool program. We have to fill out quarterly reports of our finds and submit them to the Institute. I am going to include a photo of the fossil along with information regarding its "unusual" qualities in my next report. Hopefully they will be able to tell me what it is. If they would like to take it for some reason (which I really doubt), more power to them.