[Bailey (OP)]

it has a very waxy feel to it,is quite heavy and has a round sunken area with a button sized raised bit in the centre..and i cant work out how to insert the image haha

[Bailey (OP)]

mm..ambergris from a whale?. this rock also appears to have a lighter coloured quartz like rock incorporated in it,and i found it in a dry creekbed.ive got pics but not a clue how to post them.neilep was posting pics for me before,so hopefully he can help me out again.

[LeeE]

If it's a white colour it sounds a bit like Alabaster, but I wouldn't expect Alabaster to last very long in a creek[bed] because it's so soft.

[JimBob]

How to post pictures

1.) Read Neil's instructions at http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=2893.0

2.) In new topic under the box where you type your question, click on "Additional Options" A magical transformation will occur and suddenly there will appear a box where you can browse on your computer to upload a picture. There is a size limit on this that is less than the size limit on Photobucket.

There are also other services where you can post your own pictures.

A clear picture would stop us from guessing.

[Bailey (OP)]

thanks jimbob..lee i dont think its alabaster it is too hard,and shiny,almost like its been varnished.the round bit is what i find so interesting..but ill get on to posting a picc for you folks to check out.

[Bailey (OP)]

..not sure if im doing this correctly.

[Bailey (OP)]

[LeeE]

Oo-err - that's a funny looking thing.  In fact, it looks as though it might be man-made: it seems to have rather a lot of straight sides.

No idea what it is, other than interesting.

[RD]

Speleothem ?

[JimBob]

The following assumes that the darker brown part is raised and rounded. If it is sunken, it may still be a speleothem but I kind'a doubt it.

I think it is a tektite from a meteorite impact.

When meteors hit the earth, they dig a blast crater. Material from this impact crater is blasted into the atmosphere as partially or totally liquefied rock. As it is travels through the atmosphere, it cools but it cools in a form shaped by the aerodynamic forces of the atmosphere that the "glass" travels through the air. This results in things such as the rock you picture.

The fact that it has a mottled look is because it was not completely melted.

[Bass]

Baily- how hard is the specimen?  Can you scratch it with a knife? 

My first impression was man-made also- but there appears to be  quartz crystal on the bottom of the first photo.

[Bailey (OP)]

its very hard,i cant scratch it with a knife..and there appears to be quartz like parts (lighter in colour) throughout the rock.im thinking it is a comglomerate of some kind,but not man made.

[RD]

Conulites are the "splash cups" that form on certain cave floors beneath energetic ceiling drip sites. Over time, repeated drips in one location may form a tiny calcified impact crater, or conulite, complete with its own ejecta blanket.

http://www.goodearthgraphics.com/virtcave/conulite/conulite.html

[Geezer]

In fact, it looks as though it might be man-made:
 

To me, it looks more dog-made than man-made.

[JimBob]

What about the ablation pits, Bass?

[Bailey (OP)]

yeah geezer..it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned dog crap..

[Geezer]

yeah geezer..it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned dog crap..

LOL - I does look a bit like one of those joke dog poops!

[Bailey (OP)]

[Bass]

jasperoid

[JimBob]

thank you, thank you very much