[meteorite-list] Weird Meteorwrong from Austria

[Paul H.]

While surfing the web recently, I came across this weird 
meteorite claim in an article, "Mystery Ball Is A Meteorite 
Claim" by Marija Andric from the December 19, 2009 
CroatianTimes at:

http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Around_the_World/2012-09-19/29743/Mystery_Ball_Is_A_Meteorite_Claim

It briefly mentions a "4-tonne" "mystery ball," which 
was found during road work" between Waizenkirchen 
and Grieskirchen," Austria. Although it is reported to 
be made of metal, I seriously doubt this as the picture, 
which accompanies the article, shows an object that
appears to be virtually identical to large cannonball 
concretions. According the article, local people have 
postulated that it is either a meteorite, religious artifact, 
or somehow related to UFOs. These interpretations fall 
well into the wide range of ways, including dinosaur 
eggs, in which I have found people to have 
misidentified large cannonball concretions. Given that 
it was found within the North Alpine Molasse Basin, 
I suspect that this large, round object is a cannonball 
concretion. If so, a number of people have let their 
imaginations get carried away with them and it is 
certainly a bizarre example of a meteorwrong.

I would be interested if anyone on this list has heard 
anything about this object.

For the cannonball concretions that were
misidentified as dinosaur eggs, a person can go to:

Dinosaur eggs said found in Russia's Chechnya
Rueters April 17, 2012
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/04/17/russia-chechnya-dinosaurs-idINDEE83G0EH20120417

[Rockhounds] Dinosaur eggs said found in Russia's Chechnya
http://lists.drizzle.com/pipermail/rockhounds/2012-April/037533.html

For other pictures of cannonball concretions, a person can go to:

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

(3.) "The Moeraki Boulders" at:
http://homepages.ezysurf.co.nz/~middleimage/MoerakiBoulders.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders

(4.) Koutu Boulders (Northland) at:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=186163b5-4303-4d0f-9e12-44a28d20c08f
http://hokiangatourism.org.nz/activities/attractions/koutu-boulders
http://www.hokianga.net.nz/hokianga/koutu/koutu_boulders.htm

Some papers about the North Alpine Molasse Basin.

Krenmayr, H. G., 1999, 2.3. The Austrian sector of the 
North Alpine Molasse: A classic foreland basin. 
Berichte der Geologischen Bundesanstalt. Band 49,
pp. 22-27.
http://www.landesmuseum.at/pdf_frei_remote/BerichteGeolBundesanstalt_49_0022-0026.pdf
http://www.geologie.ac.at/filestore/download/BR0049_001_A.pdf

Hamilton, W., L. Wagner, and G. Wessely, 2000, Oil and 
gas in Austria. Mittcilungen der Oslerrcichischen 
Geologischen Gesellschaft. Band 92, pp. 235-262
http://www2.uibk.ac.at/downloads/oegg/Band_92_235_262.pdf

Best wishes,

Paul H.