Nature’s Folk Art Spark Plug from San Diego

I am not sure if this piece is folk art or just a cry for help, but I found this spark plug embedded in a rock amalgamation in a San Diego tidal pool.

In March of 2016, my wife and I took a trip to San Diego. One of the beaches we visited had an amazing sandstone labyrinth of tidal pools. Glistening in one of the pools was a tiny gold spec. Of course my heart leapt at the thought of finally living out a childhood dream and finding a piece of pirate gold from Davy Jones’s personal locker. Instead I found what appeared to be the top of a spark plug solidly embedded in rock. After about 10 minutes of pounding on it, a chunk with the spark plug finally broke off.

On closer inspection, the brass top of the plug has been polished by the continued wave action of the ocean making it shine like gold in the water. It is only about 2.25 inches (3.1 centimeters) long and unfortunately there are no visible marks. Spark plugs have been around since the late 1800s (who knew) and this one does not have any of those characteristics. So best guess it is a small engine plug of relatively modern vintage.

The tidal pools were made out of a glistening sand stone. Surprisingly there is a lot of information on sandstone and the time it takes to form. I am not a 100% sure that the amalgam fits into the sandstone definition, but the surrounding sandstone would have leached out enough material from wave action to provide a solid base of materials to act as a glue. Looking over various sites, I see estimates that claim these kind of amalgams can form in as little as 10 years.

But that is the technical gobbledygook. In the end, it is just a fascinating little piece of San Diego which will undoubtedly hold down the loose pieces of paper on my desk once I get the smell out so my wife will let me bring it inside.