Rookie Question

[BigDave2727]

Flint Core Finds and Questions

Sorry for the very rookie questions, but I'm quite new to this (haven't really found much on my own). I've recently come across what I believe to be flint cores in an area near a river. I'm able to find this stuff pretty easily on the ground, but most of what I'm finding are large chunks, usually a bit bigger than what is shown in the second picture below. I haven't found any significant debitage or artifacts. There are some significant sites across the river, but nothing known too close on the side of the river I'm looking on.

My questions are:
1) Am I right that this stuff is flint?
2) Does this stuff look like it was percussion or pressure flaked in any way?
3) What does it mean that I'm finding larger flint chunks? (Am I in a good spot / why am I not seeing debitage)?



Thanks,
Dave

 

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[BigDave2727]

Bumping it to the top to see if I can get a little help...

 

[GatorBoy]

yes that is "flint" and yes somthing chipped it that way. in my book that is debitage.its cobble. mabey your in an area where the fine flaking was not being done.If you are close to where the material was quarried thats what you will find.

 

[BigDave2727]

Thanks Gator. I'm not very close to any flint quarry, which is why I'm curious as to only finding larger pieces. Should I assume that if I look harder, I'm going to find some actual artifacts?

 

[GatorBoy]

I would say probably... those pieces are not that big... they look like the stuff from a lot of sites. It makes a lot of debris sometimes just to get to the best material of a blank. The bigger stuff may just be catching your eye. Just keep looking

 

[BigDave2727]

Going to bump one last time to see if I can get any other perspective. Thanks again everyone (particularly GatorBoy).

 

[NC field hunter]

Going to bump one last time to see if I can get any other perspective. Thanks again everyone (particularly GatorBoy).

What state are you in?

 

[BJS in Iowa]

I am by no means an expert. They appear to be chert (as opposed to "flint") but they just look like random pieces to me. Materials used to make points was used precisely for the way that it would break when struck or flaked in a certain way. Early man learned how to work it to fashion and shape it to his needs. My thought is that the same thing happens as the stuff is tumbled by water but the breaks are random. Yours looks random to me. Especially the picture of the two pieces.

 

[GatorBoy]

Could you explain the difference between chert and Flint?

 

[newnan man]

Chert and Flint while very similar to almost being the same are by and large different because Flint is usually considered to be of higher quality in make up than Chert. Both names I would guess could be used correctly for most Chert/Flint types. Not sure this was of much help but thats the way it was explained to me. Interesting question with so many varieties of material used by early man.

 

[GatorBoy]

Hey thanks... that's what I belive as well.. was just interested in other opinions.. often the higher grade "Flint" comes from chalk beds. Also the term Flint was just what it was called by europeans in the use of firearms and most of it there came from chalk beds.

 

[GatorBoy]

Like these musket flints

 

[BigDave2727]

NC field hunter...I live in Ohio, near Cincinnati.

BJS...Would chert be on the ground in chunks like this? I'm finding this stuff probably a quarter mile from the river. The other think I'm seeing are ripples in this flint, which I thought would suggest percussion flaking. Do you think both the brown and white pieces are chert?

 

[BigDave2727]

Also, I'm willing to believe this could be random pieces from the river, but I wasn't sure if you would find that many pieces of flint/chert laying around naturally near cincinnati. Also, I've had the pleasure of digging in a Fort Ancient / Hopewell midden, and these pieces are very consistent with the chunks I found there. The reason for my confusion though, is that I'm not also finding any flakes or artifacts.

 

[GatorBoy]

Pretty much where there is material there is points. Just keep looking. Mabey your not finding them just because your not finding them.....yet

 

[NC field hunter]

Could you explain the difference between chert and Flint?

Here, we have always called milky quartz flint. If we are correct, flint is much harder. Chert is softer and lighter, also easier to knapp.

 

[BJS in Iowa]

NC field hunter...I live in Ohio, near Cincinnati.

BJS...Would chert be on the ground in chunks like this? I'm finding this stuff probably a quarter mile from the river. The other think I'm seeing are ripples in this flint, which I thought would suggest percussion flaking. Do you think both the brown and white pieces are chert?

As I said, I'm no expert, but I find pieces similar to this frequently. As noonan man said, flint is higher quality than chert. The KRF stuff that larson1951 and twitko always talk about is Knife River Flint and is of high quality. I've never held any of it in my hand but to me it appears to be almost glass like in fineness and I believe is quite common in the Dakotas. Around here, IL, MO, IA there are a lot of points made from Burlington chert.

 

[BigDave2727]

I believe you BJS...but why is it laying on the ground? Isn't it usually a large deposit somewhere? And why is it fractured as it is? If you look closely in that picture, you can see percussion ripples, which would indicate a hard strike (in my opinion). Maybe the reason I'm not finding much else is because you really CAN just find it laying on the ground, and there isn't anything else to it. That's the type of advice I'm looking for, so I don't waste too much time here.

 

[BJS in Iowa]

I believe you BJS...but why is it laying on the ground? Isn't it usually a large deposit somewhere? And why is it fractured as it is? If you look closely in that picture, you can see percussion ripples, which would indicate a hard strike (in my opinion). Maybe the reason I'm not finding much else is because you really CAN just find it laying on the ground, and there isn't anything else to it. That's the type of advice I'm looking for, so I don't waste too much time here.

Is that the Ohio River your a quarter mile from? Is it bottom land? field? timber? I find it laying in the fields around my house as well as in the creeks. Natural weathering processes, freeze/thaw, etc., breaks rocks down into smaller pieces. Rivers and steams can carry stuff a long ways. The ripples could be from the percussion of being struck by another rock. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying what I think and that I find the same type material laying most anywhere. Of course, maybe I'm the one overlooking the obvious...