7 ms·

Mysterious Giant Sphere Unearthed in Forest Divides Opinion

61 points by jacobr 10y ago

iokevins 10y ago
Mandy Edwards belongs to the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences of the University of Manchester, and she claims..."The [iron] sphere could have actually been produced by a natural occurrence known as concretion, which is caused by the “precipitation of natural mineral cement within the spaces between sediment grains”." It's in Bosnia. Alternatively, the article quotes Dr Sam Osmangich, a proponent of the theory that an "ancient civilisation that was once present here, dating back more than 1,500 years."
- dogma1138 10y ago
  That would be true if concretion could form metal objects but it can't. They can form Iron Oxide, and Iron Sulfide spheres but they are usually very small like these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere
  - ceejayoz 10y ago
    It's not a metal object, it's a stone sphere with a "high" (unspecified) level of iron content.
    - dogma1138 10y ago
      You are correct, I've seen this linked before as some silly "Iron Sphere". Could be concretion, would be still very strange indeed, The smaller "iron spheres" were usually found in mines where there was already a high concentration of iron content that could be used to form iron minerals, not sure where did the iron came from to form this one.
      - krashnburn200 10y ago
        The world is a very large place with lots of room for strange things to happen in it.
- douche 10y ago
  > Dr Sam Osmangich, a proponent of the theory that an "ancient civilisation that was once present here, dating back more than 1,500 years." Wait, what? It's not like Bosnia is some unknown place - 1500 years ago would put you at the tail end of the Western Roman Empire, with the Byzantines still in full swing. There's a very well attested historical record of who was living there then. If there was some ancient Balkan civilization obsessed with creating massive iron balls, we'd know about it. Hell, it'd probably have been a tourist attraction.
elgabogringo 10y ago
Aliens.
- manachar 10y ago
  People have such a low opinion of the feats of engineering that our ancestors were capable of that they invent all sorts of magic explanations. Giants, cyclops, menehune, elves, and such have been invoked frequently to "explain" the achievements of past humans. Now aliens are popular because apparently past humans didn't have brains, manpower, and time.
  - informatimago 10y ago
    Indeed, it should be noted that our technological civilization has been developped very quickly, in basically two or three hundred years (and we're on the verge of self destruct thru nuclear weapons, of which there are signs or legends of prehistoric use all over the planet). It is certain that our ancestors have had more than enough time to develop powerful technolonologies several times over, and we have remnants of their technology all over the planet too (the pyramids and other megalithic constructions being only the most visible, since the most sustainable).
    - ceejayoz 10y ago
      What "powerful technology" are the pyramids evidence of? Slave labor? Ropes and logs?
      - roywiggins 10y ago
        The pyramids were probably massive public works projects, with off-season farmers making up the workforce, paid in beer. Not slave labor.
      - ratacat 10y ago
        Actually, a metal machinist from the Midwest named Christopher Dunn has a fascinating theory that the great pyramids may have actually been 'power plants' of a sort. Giant harmonic resonators that siphon energy off of the earths expansion and contraction caused by orbit of the moon. http://www.amazon.com/Giza-Power-Plant-Technologies-Ancient/dp/1879181509#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1465164160775 http://www.amazon.com/Giza-Power-Plant-Technologies-Ancient/... His writing is a bit dense, and maybe not as smooth as it could be...but his exploration of the possibility is quite impressive.
theophrastus 10y ago
If a nearly pure wad of space iron became molten on entering ancient earth's atmosphere and buried itself in relatively soft crust/clay, some sort of planetary "shot tower"[1] effect is out of the question? (and/or why no mention of "meteor"?) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_tower
- hackaflocka 10y ago
  Or it could have been a ball of molten iron (from a meteor) that splashed into water, turned into sphere, and eventually found its way to the surface.
  - dogma1138 10y ago
    A ball of iron that size won't solidify into a sphere the sphere thing only works when the surface tension force is the big actor when something is that massive it's not longer the case. This is why if you drip water from a bucket it would form drops but if you pour it all at once it wouldn't form one big drop.
- dogma1138 10y ago
  Were talking about different velocities a shot tower works because the molten lead solidifies in the air, they travel at 50-100 m/s and land in water. An Iron rod that falls from space will melt when hitting the ground just from the impact force regardless if it somehow managed to melt and solidify during reentry.
- Aelinsaar 10y ago
  That much mass wouldn't bury itself, it would blow itself apart and leave a huge crater. It would be coming in at horrendous velocity, and the outer layers would flash to plasma on impact I think.
YeGoblynQueenne 10y ago
That's not a rock! That's a Terrie[1]!! ... or possibly a Fermie? I'd not linger around for too long in any case. They might be feeling sporty. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Beneath_the_Ground https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Beneath_the_Ground!
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
mitchty 10y ago
Funny, yeah they look like normal concretions to my eye. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion#Cannonball_concretions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion#Cannonball_concreti... I grew up near cannonball river, things like this are all over. High iron content too because of water. I even have a version that looks like a cube but its just shale inside, paramagnetic too but thats due to water processes according to a geologist I talked to. I'm not convinced it was made by people until you crack it open.
- rexreed 10y ago
  Exactly - scroll down to the bottom on this page and you'll see concretions that look almost like the one in this article: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/concretions.asp https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/concretions.... Image here: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/images/cannonball.jpg https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/images/canno...
- 13of40 10y ago
  There's a beach near where I live that's littered with thousands of perfectly round, hand-sized stone discs, presumably created by some special wave and/or ancient glacial movement there. I'm pretty sure someone thinks it was aliens, though.
- arethuza 10y ago
  That Wikipedia page lists Zavidovići as a place where these things are found - which is the location in Bosnia described in the article.
  - Steko 10y ago
    Not a new addition either, the overall Bosnia reference has been there since the article was expanded from stub in 2006 and Zavidovici itself has been listed since May 2007.
chinathrow 10y ago
They look similar to the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand, also concretions which these might be too according to the article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders
Reese1379 10y ago
"The sphere could have actually been produced by a natural occurrence known as concretion" 'Concretion: The Enigmatic Stone Spheres of Franz Josef Land' http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2015/07/stone-spheres-concretion-franz-josef-land/ http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2015/07/stone-spheres-concre...
robbiep 10y ago
Some people hear hoofsteps and absolutely know it's a zebra
aaron695 10y ago
There is no division. Unless you include flat earthers dividing opinion on the earth is round. It natural. Probably a concretion.
kagamine 10y ago
Has nobody thought to ask the Bosnian guy _why_ this ancient (which it isn't either) civilization would create these balls? Every archaeologist I have ever met, and I've met a few, would tell you what it is based upon what it would be used for. Not the other way around. If he's just going to blindly speculate then it might just as well be a Minotaurus Humungus's testicle.

61 points by jacobr 10y ago

Mandy Edwards belongs to the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences of the University of Manchester, and she claims..."The [iron] sphere could have actually been produced by a natural occurrence known as concretion, which is caused by the “precipitation of natural mineral cement within the spaces between sediment grains”." It's in Bosnia. Alternatively, the article quotes Dr Sam Osmangich, a proponent of the theory that an "ancient civilisation that was once present here, dating back more than 1,500 years."

dogma1138 10y ago
That would be true if concretion could form metal objects but it can't. They can form Iron Oxide, and Iron Sulfide spheres but they are usually very small like these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klerksdorp_sphere
- ceejayoz 10y ago
  It's not a metal object, it's a stone sphere with a "high" (unspecified) level of iron content.
  - dogma1138 10y ago
    You are correct, I've seen this linked before as some silly "Iron Sphere". Could be concretion, would be still very strange indeed, The smaller "iron spheres" were usually found in mines where there was already a high concentration of iron content that could be used to form iron minerals, not sure where did the iron came from to form this one.
    - krashnburn200 10y ago
      The world is a very large place with lots of room for strange things to happen in it.
douche 10y ago
> Dr Sam Osmangich, a proponent of the theory that an "ancient civilisation that was once present here, dating back more than 1,500 years." Wait, what? It's not like Bosnia is some unknown place - 1500 years ago would put you at the tail end of the Western Roman Empire, with the Byzantines still in full swing. There's a very well attested historical record of who was living there then. If there was some ancient Balkan civilization obsessed with creating massive iron balls, we'd know about it. Hell, it'd probably have been a tourist attraction.

elgabogringo 10y ago

Aliens.

manachar 10y ago
People have such a low opinion of the feats of engineering that our ancestors were capable of that they invent all sorts of magic explanations. Giants, cyclops, menehune, elves, and such have been invoked frequently to "explain" the achievements of past humans. Now aliens are popular because apparently past humans didn't have brains, manpower, and time.
- informatimago 10y ago
  Indeed, it should be noted that our technological civilization has been developped very quickly, in basically two or three hundred years (and we're on the verge of self destruct thru nuclear weapons, of which there are signs or legends of prehistoric use all over the planet). It is certain that our ancestors have had more than enough time to develop powerful technolonologies several times over, and we have remnants of their technology all over the planet too (the pyramids and other megalithic constructions being only the most visible, since the most sustainable).
  - ceejayoz 10y ago
    What "powerful technology" are the pyramids evidence of? Slave labor? Ropes and logs?
    - roywiggins 10y ago
      The pyramids were probably massive public works projects, with off-season farmers making up the workforce, paid in beer. Not slave labor.
    - ratacat 10y ago
      Actually, a metal machinist from the Midwest named Christopher Dunn has a fascinating theory that the great pyramids may have actually been 'power plants' of a sort. Giant harmonic resonators that siphon energy off of the earths expansion and contraction caused by orbit of the moon. http://www.amazon.com/Giza-Power-Plant-Technologies-Ancient/dp/1879181509#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1465164160775 http://www.amazon.com/Giza-Power-Plant-Technologies-Ancient/... His writing is a bit dense, and maybe not as smooth as it could be...but his exploration of the possibility is quite impressive.

theophrastus 10y ago

If a nearly pure wad of space iron became molten on entering ancient earth's atmosphere and buried itself in relatively soft crust/clay, some sort of planetary "shot tower"[1] effect is out of the question? (and/or why no mention of "meteor"?) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_tower https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_tower

hackaflocka 10y ago
Or it could have been a ball of molten iron (from a meteor) that splashed into water, turned into sphere, and eventually found its way to the surface.
- dogma1138 10y ago
  A ball of iron that size won't solidify into a sphere the sphere thing only works when the surface tension force is the big actor when something is that massive it's not longer the case. This is why if you drip water from a bucket it would form drops but if you pour it all at once it wouldn't form one big drop.
dogma1138 10y ago
Were talking about different velocities a shot tower works because the molten lead solidifies in the air, they travel at 50-100 m/s and land in water. An Iron rod that falls from space will melt when hitting the ground just from the impact force regardless if it somehow managed to melt and solidify during reentry.
Aelinsaar 10y ago
That much mass wouldn't bury itself, it would blow itself apart and leave a huge crater. It would be coming in at horrendous velocity, and the outer layers would flash to plasma on impact I think.

YeGoblynQueenne 10y ago

That's not a rock! That's a Terrie[1]!! ... or possibly a Fermie? I'd not linger around for too long in any case. They might be feeling sporty. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Beneath_the_Ground https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Beneath_the_Ground!

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

mitchty 10y ago

Funny, yeah they look like normal concretions to my eye. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion#Cannonball_concretions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion#Cannonball_concreti... I grew up near cannonball river, things like this are all over. High iron content too because of water. I even have a version that looks like a cube but its just shale inside, paramagnetic too but thats due to water processes according to a geologist I talked to. I'm not convinced it was made by people until you crack it open.

rexreed 10y ago
Exactly - scroll down to the bottom on this page and you'll see concretions that look almost like the one in this article: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/concretions.asp https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/concretions.... Image here: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/images/cannonball.jpg https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/concretions/images/canno...
13of40 10y ago
There's a beach near where I live that's littered with thousands of perfectly round, hand-sized stone discs, presumably created by some special wave and/or ancient glacial movement there. I'm pretty sure someone thinks it was aliens, though.
arethuza 10y ago
That Wikipedia page lists Zavidovići as a place where these things are found - which is the location in Bosnia described in the article.
- Steko 10y ago
  Not a new addition either, the overall Bosnia reference has been there since the article was expanded from stub in 2006 and Zavidovici itself has been listed since May 2007.

chinathrow 10y ago

They look similar to the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand, also concretions which these might be too according to the article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders

Reese1379 10y ago

"The sphere could have actually been produced by a natural occurrence known as concretion" 'Concretion: The Enigmatic Stone Spheres of Franz Josef Land' http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2015/07/stone-spheres-concretion-franz-josef-land/ http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2015/07/stone-spheres-concre...

robbiep 10y ago

Some people hear hoofsteps and absolutely know it's a zebra

aaron695 10y ago

There is no division. Unless you include flat earthers dividing opinion on the earth is round. It natural. Probably a concretion.

kagamine 10y ago

Has nobody thought to ask the Bosnian guy _why_ this ancient (which it isn't either) civilization would create these balls? Every archaeologist I have ever met, and I've met a few, would tell you what it is based upon what it would be used for. Not the other way around. If he's just going to blindly speculate then it might just as well be a Minotaurus Humungus's testicle.