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I I feighing in at about 200 pounds, this nearlylA/ perfect sphere is about 1B inches in diameter andV V wears a belt of 28 regular rectangular marks.

One man who has seen the rock describes the material as"flint," while an expert who viewed these photos terms it"silica," usually called "quartz."

The question at hand is this:

Just what is this thing?This ancient and strange rock was found near the

mouth of the Brule River in'Wisconsin. This "perfect"sphere has one flat surface and, when set on a post, the belttilts at about a 23 degree angle ... the angle, notes anobserver, of the planett own tilt. The rectangles narrowlyrange from l-by-l inches to l-6y-2 inches and thenumber 28 corresponds to the lunar calendar.

\Who - or what - formed this geological anomalynot far from the shores of Lake Superior?'We will rap ourexperts for some answers, but we want to tap you, the

SARRY HANSON

A mysterious round rock found near the mouth of the BruleRiver in Wisconsin sits on a flat sur{ace (top) and bears a"belt" of 28 rectangles (left).

4^

readers, too. Since we dont know what it is, there is noright or wrong answer - yet. So send any ideas youmight have or photos of your own geologic discoveriesaround the lake before August 1, 2000. Please e-mail(therock@lakesuperior.com) or mail (PO. Box 16417,Duluth, MN 55816-0417) your suggestions. From thebatch of suggestions, we will draw one to receive a gift.

Then stay tuned for the October/November issuewhen we will let you know what you, and the experts,are guessing.

24

90 Lake Superior Magazine / JUNE - JULv 2000

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g'fr, a-,til]ft,$,ur

illrl[1,ilIll/hat would create an almost perfectly rounded\ T I / ^ .

\UU/ flint-like rock with a,6elt of 28 regular

\\UlEl, rectangles (the length of a lunar month) andone flat side that tilts the whole thing at a23-degreeangle {about the same +s the ea+th's tilt)?

\X4ry, nature might create it, according to the experts.LSM asked readers and a few experts to look at this

rounded rock found near the mouth of the Brule Riverin \Tisconsin (LSM JunelJuly). The experts' answers weresurprising because what they call a natural phenomenonseems downright unnatural. But geologist andarcheologist alike say the rock doesn't look artificiallyaltered. This example of Hudson Bay or Thunder Bayarea flint may have hitched a ride with a south-boundglacier and got dumped in \Tisconsin. The rectangularwear marks, while unusual, are not unheard of. As forthe shapes being human-made, \Walt Okstad, historianwith the Superior National Forest in Duluth, Minnesota,says that as early as thousands of years ago, humans hadthe capability of carving consistent shapes into stone. So

Rectangles circle this unusual round flint rock, which has one flattenedside. Readers offered their tuesses as to its origin.

the relatively "random" sizing of the rectangles - some 1inch-by-1 inch, others more l-by-2 - probably indicatesnature's work. Plus, if the rock is about 200 pounds, asone observer estimates, itt unlikely that it was movedaround by people or there should have been moreartifacts nearby if the rock marked a standard gatheringsite. "But I could be wrong," cautions \7alt, who keepsthis adage on his wall: The tragedy of science is that abeautiful hypothesis can be destroyed by an ugly fact.

If the scientific explanations of this round rock leaveyou flat, LSM readers offer other explanations:

"This is an old anchor for a gill net. Sandstone wasalso used in the late 1800s. The belted grooves camefrom an anchor chain and would have been deeper whilein use" suggested one reader.

Another was sure that this must be a navigationaldevice used by "Norske Men," known for unbelievablevoyages navigating with crude, but ingenious instruments.

Among our other favorites - a sort of paleo-globecreated by ancient Isle Royale copper miners whoguessed that the earth indeed was round. (They musthave only gotten as far as carving the equator!)

\(/hatever the true explanation, one fact remainsclear: Lake Superior never tires of giving us new magicand mystery to explore.

F.*