artifact, slag, or rock?

[Justin1978]

this just seems really suspect to me... but ive been wrong before. what do yall think?

 

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[ToddsPoint]

In the upper right, it almost looks flint like. Not sure though. Gary

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Artifact it is not.

 

[stdenis_jd]

In the upper right, it almost looks flint like. Not sure though. Gary

Yeah, it's chert var. flint

 

[IAMZIM]

Is it black? Hard to tell from the pics, it could be basalt, at any rate it looks like naturally fractured rock. Definitely the right material for an artifact, but not an artifact yet......

 

[Justin1978]

ok, thanks everyone

 

[Reanm8er]

Narrowed Down

In colonial times the Shenandoah Valley was a prime source for iron. foundry men from all over Europe came here just because high purity iron had been found here in great quantities. Some of the colonial strip mines are very close to my home in a place called Ironbank to this day. The furnace I'm most familiar with is the Elizabeth Furnace in the George Washington National park. There used to be a huge slag pile at least a hundred feet long and twenty feet wide. I think every kid for twenty miles around had a piece of that stuff in his treasure box, including me. It looks and works just like obsidian and ranges in color from light grey to light green to light blue and some amazing variations in between. The colors should probably be the same universally because everyone used the combination of iron ore and dolomite limestone, also found in abundance in the valley. So I rule out slag.

I have an extensive and long career history with basalt. I can't explain how, but I've lived over, among under and inside of it till it practically runs in my veins and basalt has a hexagonal cleavage, which tends to break most unpredictably and not at all suitable for tools but swell for green landscaping stones. What we used to call "A Piece Of The Rock".

So, my vote is also chert, there are significant finds of artifacts of this wonderfully sharp and durable mineral compound in the Shenandoah Valley and the tech is usually nice too, indicating an early usage. My ancestors told me there was a vein of it at a place called flint run covered up by IS 340 and I believe that's correct.

I think what you have here fell out of a Paleo toolmakers possibles bag. It didn't mater if the tribe needed skinners, knives, arrow points or spears this wonderful rock, in the master's hands would provide any of the above and then some. Look at all the little places where chips have been forced of the edges. They weren't knocked of with a hammer, they were forced to fracture off with leverage applied at a certain point. Very clever and most significantly a fine artifact of seldom equaled quality.

 

[Justin1978]

In colonial times the Shenandoah Valley was a prime source for iron. foundry men from all over Europe came here just because high purity iron had been found here in great quantities. Some of the colonial strip mines are very close to my home in a place called Ironbank to this day. The furnace I'm most familiar with is the Elizabeth Furnace in the George Washington National park. There used to be a huge slag pile at least a hundred feet long and twenty feet wide. I think every kid for twenty miles around had a piece of that stuff in his treasure box, including me. It looks and works just like obsidian and ranges in color from light grey to light green to light blue and some amazing variations in between. The colors should probably be the same universally because everyone used the combination of iron ore and dolomite limestone, also found in abundance in the valley. So I rule out slag.

I have an extensive and long career history with basalt. I can't explain how, but I've lived over, among under and inside of it till it practically runs in my veins and basalt has a hexagonal cleavage, which tends to break most unpredictably and not at all suitable for tools but swell for green landscaping stones. What we used to call "A Piece Of The Rock".

So, my vote is also chert, there are significant finds of artifacts of this wonderfully sharp and durable mineral compound in the Shenandoah Valley and the tech is usually nice too, indicating an early usage. My ancestors told me there was a vein of it at a place called flint run covered up by IS 340 and I believe that's correct.

I think what you have here fell out of a Paleo toolmakers possibles bag. It didn't mater if the tribe needed skinners, knives, arrow points or spears this wonderful rock, in the master's hands would provide any of the above and then some. Look at all the little places where chips have been forced of the edges. They weren't knocked of with a hammer, they were forced to fracture off with leverage applied at a certain point. Very clever and most significantly a fine artifact of seldom equaled quality.

thank you so much!!!! we have gone to this site twice now, the second time we picked up several regular type rocks, palm-sized, about the thickness of my hand, and they have about a half dollar size, rounded indention, perfectly smooth. i have found almost exact examples of these online, describing them as paint or dye pallets used by native americans. i believe there is something important in this two acre lot, but time is running out, they are going to begin building something there anyday.