Album Strange Things

Rockskipper said:
Right, and you thereby also know it fizzes in vinegar. That's pretty important knowledge if you're a cook or cleaning person (or a geologist).

Actually, vinegar is a dilute acetic acid that reacts with calcite or aragonite, so if it fizzes, you know it's either one of those or the critter eats rocks (assuming it's from a critter).

I think your theory from your trip report is probably right on.
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OK, test results:

1) Density - the size and shape of a small, water-rounded stream pebble but a little too-perfect. It is lighter than a stone methinks.
2) Applied vinegar - no fizzle, so not strongly basic nor calcite nor aragonite.

Next?
3) Cross Section?
Next?
4) Anybody got a GCMS (gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer)?


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Rockskipper said:
I usually bring along my spectrometer, but I left it home this trip because I didn't have room for both it and my seismograph.

I think the next step involves some Hercules Dynomite and Redhead Matches.
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OK, since you cheaped out on the analysis gear I will cut it in half wih a dremel, hacksaw, chef's knife, chainsaw or suitable sectioning tool and get back with results.

It will be a couple of weeks though since I am heading back east. Sure hope it doesn't grow legs and walk off while I am gone :)
 
robbersroost.jpg

Robber's Roost in Green River, a couple of days after Halloween, I was the only one there and the courtyard had a half-dozen of these guys sitting around on various benches, plus a dog skeleton on the roof above my door. It was a looog night.
 
Artemus said:
OK, test results:

1) Density - the size and shape of a small, water-rounded stream pebble but a little too-perfect. It is lighter than a stone methinks.
2) Applied vinegar - no fizzle, so not strongly basic nor calcite nor aragonite.

Next?
3) Cross Section?
Next?
4) Anybody got a GCMS (gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer)?


View attachment 55833
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This is highly fascinating. Your original photo on the mountain top made all of the black orbs
look organic. This one, not so much. I'm curious, the spot where it appears the crust has been
broken away revealing the grayish cup looking piece, did you attempt to cut through the
crust and that was the result or is that the way it was found?

Your photo makes it appear as though it's in a puddle of water. Is that a result of the
vinegar test or is that an optical illusion?

Is this the only piece you took? I'm wondering if contents of each rectangle, while appearing
similar, don't have minor variances and someone is measuring responses to sunlight / temperature?
Though, a mountain top would be a strange place to do such a simple experiment.

I'm hooked. I gotta know and I won't sleep until I do.
 
DrNed said:
This is highly fascinating. Your original photo on the mountain top made all of the black orbs
look organic. This one, not so much. I'm curious, the spot where it appears the crust has been
broken away revealing the grayish cup looking piece, did you attempt to cut through the
crust and that was the result or is that the way it was found?

Your photo makes it appear as though it's in a puddle of water. Is that a result of the
vinegar test or is that an optical illusion?

Is this the only piece you took? I'm wondering if contents of each rectangle, while appearing
similar, don't have minor variances and someone is measuring responses to sunlight / temperature?
Though, a mountain top would be a strange place to do such a simple experiment.

I'm hooked. I gotta know and I won't sleep until I do.
Click to expand...
Dr.... The white light on top of my experimental piece is not a crust. That is simply a reflection of my desktop lamp. The "thing" is uniform and clean on the outside. Very clean. I imagined the light blue-grey streak in the top left of thing as an internal moving aircraft beneath the surface evidencing a hidden civilization but, alas, it was just another reflection apparently, disappearing when I turned off the light.

The puddle is the vinegar and demonstrates no fizzing.

In the mountain top plexiglass device I saw no differences in the channels that ran from side to side. They looked perfectly symmetric and there was no difference in the objects although one channel has one less "thing".

I'm sorry about your sleep - I will be away and unable to start the next diagnostic cross section for some time. I might suggest scotch to help the situation :moses:
 
What I'd like to see is the mechanism he used to transfer his peddling energy into the wheels. Or maybe the pedals are just for show and she's doing all the work. :)
 
This isn't strange in some senses of the word, but was kind of a strange thing to see. We're having what we call Bridge-a-geddon here in Glenwood Springs, CO, as they're tearing down the old bridge and building a new one to accommodate the 30k cars/day that go through town, primarily to Aspen. I was bored and watching the camera on the Colorado Mtn College building where one can monitor the bridge destruction and suddenly saw one span collapse - no one hurt, though it shut down the trains for a few hours, as it landed just above the tracks on a pylon. Guess they're ahead of schedule a bit. You can watch it here (scroll down to second screen):

http://coloradomtn.edu/gab/

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