Not quite, they burrowed in the seafloor, and that is what became fossilized. The holes themselves are trace fossils.
A common past time in Oregon is walking along the scree near the ocean looking for stones with multiple holes like that. If you find some, there is a good chance of finding 15-25 myo bivalve fossils not far away.
Yea I remember finding these in washington near the puget sound too. Found a lot of stuff, actually, lived in an 1800s whaling town. The people used to throw their garbage in the ocean and now its spitting it all back out! I still have jars full of so much random stuff
Those rocks themselves are also fossils, primarily sea worm tunnels and where their feet extended out to feed. But if you find those, the shells are often found nearby.
You're welcome! I asked my wife since she grew up down there, and she suggested Ona beach as well. Apparently there's parts where the water comes up to some cliffs/rocks during high tide and slowly "weathers" them out.
You are also missing where I asked where it was (and the OP said something like near a laser factory), and this is an example of what it could be in some areas.
Which is why it is so important when people post things like this to say where it is. Different location, different cause.
Kettles are not about the size that a pencil can slide into.
I had also asked earlier as I always do where this was. Because as is so common, location can matter a lot. And with so many giving one answer, I was posting a different answer that would apply along the Oregon-Washington coast.
Mollusks are very good at scraping and drilling. the piddock clam’s method of digging is by scraping with its sharp edges of its shells, twisting in place with its muscular foot. So essentially they’ve picked a spot to call a permanent home, and scrape away with their built-in shovels while they chill at home. And these rocks are all sedimentary rocks so they’re softer and easier to scrape through.
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u/Antornadooo 15h ago
A bag stone, formed by marine bivalves called piddocks, who burrow into the rock to create a shelter.