# Spark Plug Found In Coal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 9, 2000, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726 "2000-08-09T18:18:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![egkelly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@egkelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/egkelly)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/1 "2000-08-09T18:18:41Z")
I was argueing with a guy at work, he calims to have read about a coal miner finding something that looked like a sparkplug, in a caol seam 100 million years old. I also seem to recall seeing something like this in one of Von Daniken’s “books”. Has anybody ever investigated this artifact? I can’t seem to find anything on it. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/2 "2000-08-09T18:29:19Z")
[http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/coso.html](http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/coso.html) You can find other similar “oddities” by searching for “out of place artifacts.” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/3 "2000-08-09T18:49:02Z")
No biggie. Simply suggests those loser dinosaurs didn’t develop fuel injection. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/4 "2000-08-09T19:51:17Z")
Now now, fuel-injected gasoline engines still need spark plugs. But it did imply that the dinosaurs might not have developed Diesel. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/5 "2000-08-09T20:27:10Z")
And it seems ironic that they hadn’t developed diesel, since it’s basically just a step or two above the gunk that comes out of the ground.\* \*If, that is, I’m remembering what Click & Clack said. Waste Flick Lives! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2000, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/6 "2000-08-09T20:47:23Z")
Mea culpa. Didn’t he say carburetor? Guess it’s back into the closet for me. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/7 "2000-08-10T15:30:36Z")
GLWasteful wrote: > [@](#): > > And it seems ironic that they hadn’t developed diesel, since it’s basically just a step or two above the gunk that comes out of the ground. But wait a minute … I thought petroleum was formed out of the remains of dinosaurs themselves! _gasp_! This really _is_ a major discovery, then! The dinosaurs must have built internal combustion engines that _didn’t use petroleum!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Tymp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Tymp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tymp)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/8 "2000-08-10T15:55:38Z")
No, no. It’s not a major discovery because they had combustion engines without petroleum. Rather, this is a significant discovery because we now know that the dinosaurs are extinct because of their terrible habit of slaughtering each other to fuel their bitchin’ camaros. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/9 "2000-08-10T17:04:33Z")
I almost posted to this thread. Una, Goddess of Coal ---
**Author:** ![Needs2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5e925/32.png) [@Needs2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Needs2know)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/10 "2000-08-10T17:15:13Z")
Perhaps your friend is referring to the object that was suspected of being a spark plug that was found in a geode. Evidently some “rock hounds” found a geode a few years back that when cut open revealed a core that appeared to be ceramic and perfectly round. This “spark plug” appeared to have a center that was a metal rod. The problem is that whoever possesses this odd artifact can no longer be located. I believe the geode was found somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. If you go to one of the search engines such as Yahoo! you can look up some info on this item. You might find it under something like “archeological anomalies”. Needs2know ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/11 "2000-08-10T17:17:00Z")
Tymp wrote: [QUOTEwe now know that the dinosaurs are extinct because of their terrible habit of slaughtering each other to fuel their bitchin’ camaros.[/QUOTE] They’d have to be pretty darned bitchin’ Camaros, too, to be big enough to house a dinosaur and the girl-dinosaur he was trying to impress. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/12 "2000-08-10T17:17:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Needs2know \* > \*\*Perhaps your friend is referring to the object that was suspected of being a spark plug that was found in a geode. Evidently some “rock hounds” found a geode a few years back that when cut open revealed a core that appeared to be ceramic and perfectly round. This “spark plug” appeared to have a center that was a metal rod. The problem is that whoever possesses this odd artifact can no longer be located. I believe the geode was found somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. > > If you go to one of the search engines such as Yahoo! you can look up some info on this item. You might find it under something like “archeological anomalies”. > > Needs2know \*\* Check the link posted by **Mjollnir** earlier in the thread. I miss these things myself sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/13 "2000-08-10T17:21:07Z")
I disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Needs2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5e925/32.png) [@Needs2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Needs2know)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/14 "2000-08-10T17:24:30Z")
Actually if you use the search engine you will find “several” sites that make reference to this particular item. Needs2know ---
**Author:** ![SouthernStyle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@SouthernStyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouthernStyle)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/15 "2000-08-10T18:36:26Z")
Maybe the dinosaurs were clairvoyant. Perhaps their wisdom was such that they knew that millions of years in the future they would be the dark gooey sludge that would drive (pun intended) the world’s economy and provide power for almost every living thing. In their wisdom, they developed the internal combustion engine. But before they could secure the device for the future world to enjoy, they realized that noone had invented a patent office. Since they couldn’t patent the device they just decided, “there’s a really big rock heading this way that’s going to pretty well ruin our day. Fuck 'em. If we can’t patent it and get credit for it, then we’re just gonna keep it.” Now we have to wonder just what forces were at work for the internal combustion engine to be rediscovered millions of years later. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/16 "2000-08-10T19:02:03Z")
Reminds me of a BC comic strip where one of the characters draws a perfect rendition of the space shuttle on a cave wall right next to some stick figures. The caption says, “A million years from now, this picture is going to put some archeologist in a mental institute.” ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/17 "2000-08-10T21:19:12Z")
After reading the talkorigins link, I don’t know what’s more ridiculous, all the crackpots who think there is some extraordinary significance to the sparkplug, or the fact that there is an organization called the Sparkplug Collectors of America. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/18 "2000-08-11T01:22:38Z")
How about applying a little formula. R = number of times this has been reported as happening. L = number of times some person or group would lie and say it happened to them for various reasons. E = number of instances we actually have to explain. R - L = E works. For example, if the reported homicide rate is 56000 (pulled it out of my head), and the number of times some nutcase would call in saying there had been a homicide if there hadn’t been was 100 (again, POOMH), we must investigate the 55900 homicides that actually happened. I think the E for OOPA (Out Of Place Artifacts) is either a negative number (it would never really happen, all reports are bunk) or very small (it happens much less often than an uncritical reading of the reports would have you believe). If it’s the former, no discussion is needed. If it’s the latter, it can probably be explained by more prosaic means (spark plugs are susceptible to gravity just like anything else and could have fallen into an open-pit mine). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/19 "2000-08-11T01:46:25Z")
Some people have no idea how quickly concretions can form around an object. Under a drip of suitably hard water a shell of limestone-like material can accrete around a nucleus in less than five years. You are familiar with the stalagtites which form under concrete bridges? Same type of process. Just because it is a rock doesn’t mean it is old. So I believe in the spark plug found in a rock. I just don’t see it as being significant in any way except as an example of how quickly some natural processes occur. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spark-plug-found-in-coal/28726/20 "2000-08-11T16:06:50Z")
**tracer** : > [@](#): > > They’d have to be pretty darned bitchin’ Camaros, too, to be big enough to house a dinosaur and the girl-dinosaur he was trying to impress. Not just big, either. Evidently they got really crappy gas mileage, which simply increased the number of dinosaurs killed to fill up even one tank. Actually, maybe the dinosaurs didn’t die off, they simply went into hiding. Waste Flick Lives!