Upper Mercer? Lightning lines? Age?

[kyphote]

Yesterday I dug this base. It’s prettier than the early/mid Archaic quartzite varieties I’ve been finding and was 8” deeper (if that matters). Thoughts on age and material? I saw a similar pattern in one of my books but the material was identified as Upper Mercer chert from middle Ohio and I’m in Virginia. Author referred to the pattern as “lightning lines.”

Thanks for any insight.

 

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[arrow86]

Pretty material , The first pic looks like shape of a persons head/ face in the light grey ..... maybe iv been drinking too much today lol

 

[dognose]

I would be hesitant to say an age on a small part of a point base. to me its virtually impossible. It would be like trying to determine an automobile make from a radiator hose.

 

[Quartzite Keith]

Well, I have the advantage of knowing where this was found and some regional knowledge. Knowing the site is sensitive, let's just say "Central Virginia". This is very helpful because chert type rock is rare in that area, so it limits the possibilities. It does not match up with any of the known chert, chalcedony, or jasper sources in Central Virginia. It is a good match for some of the "mountain flints" that occasionally turn up in the area, such as this one which is probably the closest:

https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/lithics/augusta-and-rockingham-county-cherts/

It does appear to be the base of a lanceolote form with an auriculate base which in that region limits us to one of the paleo forms or Guilford. It is thin, well made, of "exotic" material for the site and shows a lame flute or at least aggressive basal thinning, at least on one side. That points to paleo, or more likely late/transitional paleo. McCoy and McCoy in their work along the Nottoway River do a good job of showing how Clovis changed over time from true fluting to more shallow fluting, or only fluting on one side, then to basal thinning, then to just a small, thin, well made lanceolate (like Midland). They used the regional name "Carson Lanceolate" for these transitional forms, which then further morphed into Hardaway side notched and Palmer corner notched. They peg Carson at 12,200-11900 BP (various "Clovis" forms they have as 13,100-12,200 BP). At the Richmond Site and Point-of-rocks Site in Chesterfield County, these transitional forms are called "Appomatox River".

 

[MAMucker]

Pretty lithic though.

 

[kyphote]

Thank you heckler #1 for breaking the ice and thank you Keith for your incredibly helpful insight. This is why I come!