Re: Meter-wide "dinosaur" eggs reportedly found in Chechnya

["Paul H." <oxytropidoceras@cox.net>]

Ben Creisler wrote,

"Sounds like the "giant dinosaur egg" party is over....
http://phys.org/news/2012-04-chechnya-world-largest-dinosaur-eggs.html "

These alleged "dinosaur eggs" are clearly cannonball concretions. 
Proof of this interpretation is seen in one picture that shows three 
of these pseudoeggs joined together. For comparison, a collection
of pictures of cannonball concretions can be seen in (1.) "Tout ce 
que la nature ne peut pas faire, IV : sphères de pierre" at 

http://irna.lautre.net/Tout-ce-que-la-nature-ne-peut-pas,45.html 

(2.) " Boules de pierre en Slovaquie, République Tchèque et Pologne" at 

http://irna.lautre.net/Boules-de-pierre-en-Slovaquie.html 

and (3.) "The Moeraki Boulders" at 

http://homepages.ezy...kiBoulders.html .

Some  papers, which discuss in detail examples of such natural 
stone balls, which are spheroidal (cannonball) concretions are: 

Boles, J. R., Landis, C. A., and Dale, P., 1985, The Moeraki 
boulders; anatomy of some septarian concretions. Journal of 
Sedimentary Petrology. vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 398-406.

McBride, E. F., and K. L. Milliken, 2006, Giant calcite-cemented 
concretions, Dakota Formation, central Kansas, USA, 
Sedimentology, v. 53, n. 5, p. 1161–1179.

McBride, E. F., Picard, M. D., Milliken, K. M., 2003, Calcite- 
cemented concretions in Cretaceous sandstone, Wyoming and 
Utah, U.S.A. Journal of Sedimentary Research. vol. 73, no. 3. 
pp. 462-483. 

Horne, R. R.., and Taylor, B. J., 1969, Calcareous concretions 
in the lower Cretaceous sediments of south-eastern Alexander 
Island. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin. vol. 21, pp. 19-32. 

Krajewski, K. P., and Luks, B., 2003, Origin of 'cannon-ball' 
concretions in the Carolinefjellet Formation (Lower Cretaceous), 
Spitsbergen. Polish Polar Research. vol. 24, no. 3-4, pp. 217-242.

Best wishes,

Paul Heinrich
Baton Rouge, LA 70803