On Wed, 7 Dec 2011 14:31:27 -0800, "Steve B" wrote:


"David Billington" wrote



Could it be some sort of slag left over from iron or steel making. I've
seen shots of small pieces of slag produced by cupola furnaces that
sometimes have significant quantities of iron mixed in.

I saw a very interesting PBS program about an ancient copper smelting
operation, where slag pieces were left in football field sized refuse heaps.
This bears investigation to at least identify what the source was. Perhaps
it may be a meteorite. Perhaps, it may be a piece of ancient slag from an
ancient smelting process, which may invite further investigation from the
educated crowd.

Steve



If it has gravel in it, it's not slag. The crud from the bottom of a
cupula furncace has hard bits of slag in it, but you wouldn't mistake
it for gravel.

They used those dregs to cast junk items like window sash weights. You
can't saw them because the slag is hard as rocks, but it doesn't look
like rocks.

--
Ed Huntress