Tina McKercher wasn’t sure what to make of it, and neither were a jeweler she reportedly showed it to, or members of a Great Lakes rock hunting group on Facebook where photos of her find were shared, according to Battle Creek radio station WBCK-FM. Oddly enough, even though this chunk of whale bile can be found naturally, in some countries it is illegal to even possess it, such as the United States. Asphalt has a black tar matrix. Granite. McKercher made the find in late July and the radio station published photos of the curiosity, inviting people to email her if they knew what kind of rock she’d found. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Immersing themselves in the fresh air of the Middleton Sands beach near Morecambe Bay in England was one of their favorite pasttimes. It has the form of a hollow glassy tube, in the shape of the lightning bolt, and is often referred to as “ lightning stone” or “fossilized lightning”. These other types are found on the beach with a far greater rounded and smoothed appearance. The odd "rock" the Williams had come across stank! Through the power of the internet, we've found an expert that was able to identify a Michigan woman's once in a lifetime find on the shores of Lake Huron. There are so many different types of rocks on the beach that are just waiting to be found. The rocks, which he named "Yooperlites" emit an eerie glow, appearing to be partially molten rock. HARRISVILLE, MI - A longtime rock aficionado was doing a little hunting on a Lake Huron beach near Harrisville last month when she found something that stumped her: a small, smooth gray rock that looked like it had something metallic hidden inside of it. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Police investigate after man’s body found on beach track in Two Rocks. At first they dismissed it as nothing of real significance, but after a couple second glances they were caught completely by surprise! Man-made rocks: Concrete: Concrete is a man-made rock resembling carbonate breccia or carbonate conglomerate. How much would the … Growing up in Toledo, her father used to take her fossil hunting, which led to her first brush with pyrite nodules similar to what McKercher found. Ken Wilman was walking along a beach in Northern England when his pup, Madge, uncovered a stinky yellow rock that turned out to be ambergris, a costly sperm whale byproduct. Not a bad haul for just talking a walk on the beach! “I saw the article when it popped up on my news feed for ‘Michigan News’ and I quickly emailed her the answer to her question about her rock. That makes sense at it does smell good, eventually, but some people had very odd uses for it. 30 Foods That Aren't as Healthy as You Think, 50 Menu Items Fast Food Workers Say Never to Order, 39 Brands on the Brink of Declaring Bankruptcy, The Salaries of All the Popular News Anchors, Restaurant Chains That Won’t Make It Through the Year, Pros and Cons of Being a Mechanical Engineer, 30 Unbelievable Places That Are Illegal to Visit, 30 American Things That Don't Exist Abroad, Meet the Wives of Your Favorite NBA Players, Meet the Wives of Your Favorite NFL Players. We might be able to get behind eating a whale, but eating the stuff that comes out of a whale? The reason behind these laws is for the sake of the whales. In todays terms, that's probably a very expensive meal—even for royalty standards. I love the U.P., and it is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” St. Antoine said in the EGLE interview. The Chlorastrolite stone is also known as the Isle Royale Greenstone. Polish 5-7 days. The mystery of Jersey Shore shells, rocks and other things you find on N.J. beaches Updated May 14, 2019; Posted Aug 25, 2018 By Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com However, this isn’t what makes it so valuable. The Williams couple needed verification from an authority, so they shipped their potentially newfound treasure to New Zealand and France. One of their favorite things about these walks was finding strange objects on the sands. St. Antoine, who now works for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, knows a thing or two about rocks. The mineral usually occurs as small, clear olive-green grains and stubby crystals. All rights reserved (About Us). If you happen to come across a smelly rock while taking a long walk on the beach, it could be your lucky day. What is the country coming to when we can’t even possess smelly whale refuse? And the radio station followed up with a update to its readers. Entertainment. Knowing water could shape rocks into this kind of shape and texture, they didn’t immediately mark it as anything exceptional. Diabase (Dolerite - Older Term) is a dark rock that may have light colored lath shaped (flat elongated) grains. Basalt, Sandstone and Limestone Commonly Found on Pier Cove Beach I've collected quite a few beach pebbles through the years and have compiled them to create soothing works of art (shown above). Grain of sand gets trapped and turned into a pearl. That wasn’t far from where Steven and Viola found their own. Even though ambergris is considered a waste product, the value of it is so high that poachers are still willing to break the law to make a few bucks. Pretty good find for just wanting to walk on the beach, right? Crossing their fingers, they hoped that 1.) Movies, TV, music, fashion—we’ve got a little something for everyone. Gary and Angela Williams have always enjoyed long walks on the beach. Gary and Angela noticed the strangest thing only as they got closer. Unfortunately, not everybody shares my excitement!”. Incense was the air freshener of the ancient world, and ambergris was the name brand. Ambergris is a substance produced in the bile ducts of a whale’s intestine when certain objects cannot be digested. Her find is very beautiful, and I haven’t ever seen one just like that before.”. the package would be delivered, and 2.) To the Williams, it just looked like a smooth, gray oval. Little did they know, the rock was worth more than its weight in gold. Can you imagine if instead of pearls we wore whale chunks around as jewelry? A couple in the UK stumbled across a large rock that many are calling “whale vomit.” It also includes Lake Superior’s geological history, as well as beach profiles, tips for rock hunters, and detailed images illustrated by Rick Kollath. No matter what though, the couple were definitely in for tens of thousands of dollars. Not just a dead fish smell either. They meld together and solidify over time. Couple find 'rock' worth £50,000 washed up on beach in Lancashire The large piece of ambergris, or 'whale vomit' Credit: SWNS N ext time you're wandering along a … The Rock Picker’s Guide to Lake Superior’s North Shore by Mark Sparky Stensaas is a great tool for locating and classifying over 15 different rocks. Either way, this meshed-together goodness is basically hard whale vomit. But if gross was any indication of value, then they might have hit a jackpot! Jasper is variety of Chalcedony, and is usually a brown, yellow, or reddish color. This isn’t much different from another creature that does something similar; can you guess which? Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). Man killed on beach track in Two Rocks. Whether you want to take a walk down memory lane or explore the next big thing, we’re ready to help you do it all and much more at Alot Living! A rock made entirely of olivine is called dunite. I have found some beautiful agates in parking lot gravel. Mary Ann St. Antoine, EGLE environmental quality analyst. Hiner, 43, had put the rocks in her pocket after they left the beach. It can be found on the beach, especially after typhoons. To … I lived in a swampy area in the eastern U.P., and they rusted, so I warned the woman in the article about long-term storage of her rock. Much different from another creature that does something similar ; can rock found on beach imagine if instead of we... Very odd uses for it pop culture here at Alot Living this point it important! Around as jewelry value, then they might be on to something “ Pyrite nodules ( or concretions ) typically. First they dismissed it as “ a cross between a squid and farmyard manure... 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