What the heck is this rock?
September 11, 2011 9:47 AM   Subscribe

I found a weird little rock while hiking in southwestern Wisconsin. I'm trying to figure out if it's man-made or a fossil, and what it could have been a part of.

I found this little rock on a trail in Blue Mounds State Park in Wisconsin. Here's the top, bottom, and side. The trail was pretty rustic...there were some timbers in spots on the trail to prevent it from washing out during a heavy rain, but there was no cement or other material near the trail that looked anything like this. I think it might be man-made because the holes are so uniform, but members of my family thought it looked like it might be a natural rock or a fossil.

Does anyone have any idea what it could have been a piece of, if it was man-made? Or what it could be a fossil of, if it's a fossil? It's been driving me nuts.

Thanks!
posted by christinetheslp to Science & Nature (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Looks like honeycomb.
posted by colinshark at 9:59 AM on September 11, 2011


it looks to me to be a fossilized piece of honeycomb, but honestly I'm not an expert. It's a very neat piece! I thought I was the only one who spent time looking down at the trail while hiking! Nice find!
posted by Draccy at 10:01 AM on September 11, 2011


Guesses:

Fossil Coral?
Something made by mud-daubing wasps or bees, and not a fossil?
posted by BinaryApe at 10:11 AM on September 11, 2011


Definitely fossilized coral or something like it. There are great pockets of Ordovician fossils around your area. I hunt for them all the time. Here are some resources.
posted by sanka at 10:38 AM on September 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


it looks to me like a piece of the ceramic plates that go into the bottom of gas barbecues to help distribute the heat evenly
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:26 PM on September 11, 2011


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