🔎 UNIDENTIFIED What are these ??identical stones - Stone anomaly or man made?

cowsaretrippy

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So, I have these 2 items found them in different fields of the same farm .. they are coincidentally both indented very similarly in the back and rear sides they both appear balanced. the small one lays completely flat on the ground whereas the larger one lays flat on the surface then angles slightly upward at about half it's length.

Wish the photos did better justice,
Any ideas?
 

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unclemac

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we are not in school, we are hobbyists trying to inform other members as simply and succinctly as possible. We are here because we love to learn from others that possess esoteric knowledge in areas we share an interest in. Each one of us have little tidbits of specific information that, gathered over time, we find very powerful in answering our questions.
 

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CaptEsteban

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I am posting this just so others can see that " pareidolia" is a common word used in archaeology . NOT, a description of a mental disorder . SO, this term may be used in this thread , among others.

 

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Kray Gelder

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Come on fellows let's get back on topic and do away with the "wordology" (how's that for a term to talk about? :icon_scratch:
So, why are they similar, with an all-natural explanation? I think I see faint banding in the large stone, at least. Based on that, and the stones' composition, I am thinking stromatolite. Stromatolites are colonies of an assortment of bacteria that grow in the tropics, Their sticky waste and life juice oozing collects sand and particles in the currents, and slowly build up layers of a gritty mixture. Mats, they are called. These layers are like tree rings, sort of. They still live in the tropics, as they have for 450 mil. years or more. These tropical "fossils" have moved around the globe as the continents moved, and stromatolites are found everywhere.

Here are a few examples

stromatolite1.jpg stromatolite2.jpg stromatolite3.jpg

If you can imagine striking these samples with a hammer, breaking them to bits, you may end up with similarly shaped pieces. They would likely shear along seams and layers. The last image highlights the possibility.

It could happen. If you smooth off one side of the big one, and don't see banding or layering, then you can toss this exercise.
 

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unclemac

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I don't see at all what you are seeing, stromatolites? they look the same because they are made from the same stone material and have the same fracture planes and identities. They were found in the same area and had the same erosive pressures on them over time. I do indeed see the look they share with a tack hammer of sorts but they show no modification other than natural, nor are they big or heavy enough to have been used for striking, nor do they show any use wear. I myself have run into areas that produce odd shaped stones that mimic each other but are unusual in different environments. These too are natural and are produced and deposited as I have mentioned above.
 

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cowsaretrippy

cowsaretrippy

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I can definitely see where you might think they were hand-made. I love rocks and collect them all the time...and have also realized it's easy to "see" patterns when you want to (not saying it's not true with yours). If you really want to know, reach out to a local college's geology department and they might be able to help.
Thank you great idea!
 

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cowsaretrippy

cowsaretrippy

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oddly enough the fact that you found two may indicate they are natural.
Understandable, although I found them on the same property. I did find them on separate fields about 1 or 2 years apart .. even if natural, makes me wonder how they got their shapes so similar, haven't found any others like em, just those 2 for now :)
 

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cowsaretrippy

cowsaretrippy

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I genuinely appreciate all the responses! .. one last question .. found this guy Sunday at the farm .. drilled through, maybe the other half got broken off .. can anyone infer what it may have been used for ? .. my boyfriend says it's slate rock, sadly I don't know much at all about rock type identification. Wish I took geology back in school
 

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