Quenching an anvil in a river, with an excavator - GIF

[Frank S]

For what it’s worth and not wishing to upset anyone. - Anvils should have a case hardened surface only. The rest of the anvil is generally soft or mild steel. If you see an old anvil used by yesteryear Blacksmith invariably you would notice on its winged base chisel gouges. Often this is where the Blacksmith would test a hardened and tempered tool ( chisel ) to see if it cuts well without any noticeable dulling of the sharpened end.

You're absolutely right and if that is an old iron anvil I bet I could knock the horn off it now with a 1 handed 4 lb hammer