“Could it be just a rock?”, Lake Superior Magazine (LSM), June/July 2000, pg.90.

1. Vnw.Potxt
Cou,,ilidiltfr,
U,USft,iRoeink?a
I I feighing in at about200 pounds,thisnearly
lA/ perfectsphereisabout1Binchesin diameterand
V V wearsa belt of 28 regularrectangularmarks.
One manwho hasseenthe rock describesthe materialas
"flint," whileanexpertwho viewedthesephotostermsit
"silica,"usuallycalled"quartz."
The question at hand is this:
Justwhat is this thing?
This ancient and strange rock was found near the
mouth of the Brule River in'Wisconsin. This "perfect"
spherehasone flat surfaceand, when seton a post, the belt
tilts at about a 23 degreeangle ... the angle,notesan
observer,of the planett own tilt. The rectanglesnarrowly
range from l-by-l inches to l-6y-2 inches and the
number 28 correspondsto the lunar calendar.
Who - or what - formed this geological anomaly
not far from the shoresof Lake Superior?'Wewill rap our
experts for some answers,but we want to tap you, the
SARRYHANSON
A mysteriousroundrockfoundnearthe mouthof the Brule
RiverinWisconsinsitson aflatsur{ace(top) andbearsa
"belt"of 28rectangles(left).
4^
readers,too. Sincewe dont know what it is, there is no
right or wrong answer- yet. So send any ideasyou
might have or photos of your own geologic discoveries
around the lake beforeAugust 1, 2000. Pleasee-mail
(therock@lakesuperior.com)or mail (PO. Box 16417,
Duluth, MN 55816-0417) your suggestions.From the
batch of suggestions,we will draw one to receivea gift.
Then staytuned for the October/November issue
when we will let you know what you, and the experts,
areguessing.
24
90 LakeSuperiorMagazine/JUNE-JULv2000
r{

2. Vrrw.Pomr
g'fr,a-,
til]ft,
$,ur
illrl[1,
ilIll/hat would createan almostperfectlyrounded
TI/^.
UU/
flint-like rock with a,6elt of 28 regular
UlEl, rectangles(the length of a lunar month) and
one flat sidethat tilts the whole thing at a23-degree
angle{about the same+sthe ea+th'stilt)?
X4ry,nature might createit, according to the experts.
LSM askedreadersand a few experts to look at this
rounded rock found near the mouth of the Brule River
in Tisconsin (LSM JunelJuly). The experts' answerswere
surprisingbecausewhat they call a natural phenomenon
seemsdownright unnatural. But geologistand
archeologist alike saythe rock doesn't look artificially
altered.This exampleof Hudson Bay or Thunder Bay
areaflint may havehitched a ride with a south-bound
glacierand got dumped in Tisconsin. The rectangular
wear marks,while unusual, arenot unheard of. As for
the shapesbeing human-made, WaltOkstad, historian
with the SuperiorNational Forestin Duluth, Minnesota,
saysthat asearly asthousands of yearsago, humans had
the capability of carving consistentshapesinto stone.So
Rectanglescirclethisunusualroundflintrock,whichhasoneflattened
side.Readersofferedtheirtuessesasto itsorigin.
the relatively "random" sizing of the rectangles- some 1
inch-by-1 inch, others more l-by-2 - probably indicates
nature'swork. Plus, if the rock is about 200 pounds, as
one observerestimates,itt unlikely that it was moved
around by people or there should havebeenmore
artifacts nearby if the rock marked a standard gathering
site. "But I could be wrong," cautions7alt, who keeps
this adageon his wall: The tragedyof scienceis that a
beautiful hypothesis can be destroyed by an ugly fact.
If the scientific explanationsof this round rock leave
you flat, LSM readersoffer other explanations:
"This is an old anchor for a gill net. Sandstonewas
alsousedin the late 1800s.The belted groovescame
from an anchor chain and would have been deeperwhile
in use"suggestedone reader.
Another was sure that this must be a navigational
deviceusedby "Norske Men," known for unbelievable
voyagesnavigating with crude, but ingenious instruments.
Among our other favorites- a sort of paleo-globe
createdby ancient Isle Royalecopper miners who
guessedthat the earth indeed was round. (They must
have only gotten asfar ascarving the equator!)
(/hatever the true explanation, one fact remains
clear:Lake Superior nevertires of giving us new magic
and mystery to explore.
F.*