WHAT IS THIS?

Iron I think - 12/10/2008 Reviewer : Fat Boy from Maryland United States	Total Rating : 10
I think it could be just an interesting chunk of iron, but I could be wrong. Check out my last Maryland report. I found one that looks like a jaw bone fossil with teeth impressions...but mine is simply a chunk of iron. Either way, it's certainly interesting!	Content Quality : 10 of 10 Drool Quotient : 10 of 10 Picture Quality : 10 of 10
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Slag or concretion - 12/10/2008 Reviewer : Daryl from Maryland United States	Total Rating : 10
I think this is a piece of Slag (remnants after smelting of iron), or a concretion/hematite. I've found stuff like this too. Check out http://www.meteorites.wustl.edu/meteorwrongs/m174.htm and then click on the gallery link at the top of the page for more interesting pics of wierd rocks that people thought were metorites. Daryl.	Content Quality : 10 of 10 Drool Quotient : 10 of 10 Picture Quality : 10 of 10
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Possibly clay and bog iron - 12/10/2008 Reviewer : MICHAELB from	Total Rating : 10
It looks like it may be clay with some bog iron mixed in. The bottom of the Potomac in this area has large amounts of clay. There are also large amounts of bog iron. Both of these along with the gravel that sits in the clay have been mined from the river over the years. An old gravel factory sits in Charles County near Purse. They extracted the gravel from the clay. The clay forms into small odd shaped pieces that have a sheen to them. They sound like porcelain when hit with a rock. The iron comes from the prehistoric bogs that still line the river - two of them are in Purse. This was mined out of the river to make cannon balls during the Revolution and Civil Wars. You will find small pieces that look like coral, but are rust colored, along the river. Many of the smaller clay pieces are easily confused with fossils, especially scute. I seem to pick up a piece or two each time and take it home to give it a better look rather than eyeball it down on the river.	Content Quality : 10 of 10 Drool Quotient : 10 of 10 Picture Quality : 10 of 10
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