Comments on: Are these the remains of ancient worm holes?

By: Rob Butler

Rob Butler — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 07:26:00 +0000

I’m thinking those are fossilized Pine trees (or any other type of tree that grows tall and straight with few branches except at the top).

By: Halloween_Jack

Halloween_Jack — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 03:31:00 +0000

The Temple of the Prophets will not be rediscovered until the Emissary appears.

By: davide405

davide405 — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 15:35:00 +0000

There are a few happy mutants in Oklahoma :-)

By: ciran

ciran — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 06:01:00 +0000

I don’t know anything about Oklahoma’s fossils or geology but there’s an impression on the left of the rock that gets larger as it goes down. Sort of looks like a rock-boring clam hole

By: SoItBegins

SoItBegins — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 21:41:00 +0000

Darnit, you beat me to it.

By: Culturedropout

Culturedropout — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 18:35:00 +0000

“Plumbing of the Gods!”

By: patito real

patito real — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 16:10:00 +0000

What’s rural OK for you? Would be helpful in narrowing the search.

By: BarBarSeven

BarBarSeven — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 04:31:00 +0000

Have you found the “Spice” stash yet? Therein lies the answer.

By: podrock

podrock — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 00:56:00 +0000

The result of a “sand blow”? During an earthquake, wet sand can explode upwards, spewing sand around. Perhaps these are the below surface expression, the sand feeder dike?

From the USGS: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-131-02/fs-131-02-p3.html

(yes, I am a geologist.)

By: gwailo_joe

gwailo_joe — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:40:00 +0000

Graboids…obviously.

By: Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:35:00 +0000

“out hiking in rural Oklahoma.” Never thought I’d read that on boingboing.

By: Jun-Kai Teoh

Jun-Kai Teoh — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 22:31:00 +0000

You had me thinking “Stargate SG-1″ when you said worm holes.

By: emo hex

emo hex — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:41:00 +0000

Do these “worms” frighten you?

By: Mister44

Mister44 — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:48:00 +0000

I personally have a ton of worm burrow casts from Missouri near Lees Summit. There is this one cut into the side of the road that just has a ton of these cylindrical casts.

By: Stooge

Stooge — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:40:00 +0000

Don’t despair! Geologist now moderately ebriate and regaling us with Heart-of-Darkness-style anecdotes. Am confident suitable interpretation on cards if image re-presented post-digestif.

By: recoiled

recoiled — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:16:00 +0000

I’m guessing burrows are the best answer, as skolithos are a blanket term for worm and shrimp burrows. They may be more recognizable because of water erosion accenting the fossil burrows. Do you know what geologic time the rocks are a part of? The red sand may be because of iron staining due to water reacting with the elements in the sandstone, or the sandstone could be k-spar rich, or a million other explanations. In the end, whoever asked for some kind of scale is the most correct answer. You truly know you are a geologist when you have more photos of your hammer than of your loved ones. I’m so happy I could share this useless post.

By: Lyle Hopwood

Lyle Hopwood — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Obviously a fossilized balustrade. You can just make out the stair treads and a landing. I wonder what’s at the bottom of the staircase?

By: Felton / Moderator

Felton / Moderator — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:54:00 +0000

If all else fails, you can just slap them, and run away while they're stunned.

By: CH

CH — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:41:00 +0000

Yeah, I was looking at the picture, wondering how on earth they would know the rock had been hit by a worm hole. And how cool it would be if it was true!!!! … and then I realized it wasn’t that kind of worm hole.

Still cool, but…

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Fingers in my ears! Na na na na na I can’t hear you! It’s giant sandworms!

By: David Gibson

David Gibson — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 18:51:00 +0000

the segments make me think that they are the stalks of a Crinozoa of some sort.i have several i picked up out of the sandstone in the Mississippi valley that look somewhat like that but smaller,baseball bat size.

By: Amy Buthod

Amy Buthod — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 18:36:00 +0000

I live in OK and I’ve seen this. Just eroded sandstone, alas.

By: Stooge

Stooge — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 18:25:00 +0000

IANAG, IANYG! That being said, I have a borderline-sober geologist on hand, and he says that if it’s vertical, chances are it’s just the result of water doing its erosive thing.

By: Chris Jauer

Chris Jauer — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:10:00 +0000

Note: scientific pix ALWAYS need a scale reference, like a rock hammer or for us lucky Canuks the eponymous Loonie coin. That said, the orientation and guesstimated size make me think fossilised tree trunk casts, similar to those seen in situ at Joggins, Nova Scotia ( recent UNESCO site, fossilised Carboniferous age forest ). The original buried tree trunks are long gone, but the space was filled in by later sediments which lithified in place. Well spotted.

By: Dan Donaldson

Dan Donaldson — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:01:00 +0000

I am not a geologist! But the fact that they’re vertical suggests to me something like a persistent water boring down through the matrix rock, then re-sedimenting later to form columns of slightly harder material, now exposed.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:59:00 +0000

If you walk without rhythm, you won’t attract the worm.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Agreed. Now I’m so disappointed.

And to double the disappointment, when I realized it was actual worms, for a brief, impossible moment, I was hoping it was the Sandworms of Arrakis.

By: Boundegar

Boundegar — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Wormsign! Set your maker hooks!

By: Jellodyne

Jellodyne — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:49:00 +0000

I don’t know, therefore aliens.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr43eik7KD1r23w17o1_500.jpg

By: Kernit the Font

Kernit the Font — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:37:00 +0000

Damn, I was really hoping this article was about the discovery of some kind of ancient stargate.