New Spot - What is this?

[rockheadhunter421]

Went to a new spot in Stokes Co., NC at the bottom of Sauratown Mtn. this evening. The first picture was took at the exact spot I found the chuck of rhyolite. At first, I thought I wasn't gonna find anything. Then I found the shed on the field's edge. I found a plow broken flake and a small round quartzite/sandstone ball (cooking ball maybe?) Then I was making my way back, and found this chunk of rhyolite. The fresh chipped edge appears to be micro-flaked. I have never seen anything quite like it. It's thick and crude, maybe once a paleo knife or preform? What the heck yall think is it?

 

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[rockheadhunter421]

Here's some more pic of it after I rinsed it off.

 

[rock]

Looks like a test rock to me. Sometimes they would check to see if it was worth making anything with. Not much work on it from what I can see. At best it would be a scraper. Always good to get out, nice find

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Looks like a test rock to me. Sometimes they would check to see if it was worth making anything with. Not much work on it from what I can see. At best it would be a scraper. Always good to get out, nice find

It does looks like it would be a tough one to knap. I looked at the edge with a magnifying glass and that spot clearly has a micro-reduction. It is sharp at that spot too. It's probably an aphyric rhyolite material; one of the most commonly used forms of rhyolite in NC. It looks a lot older than others I've found before. I didn't want to rule out it being used as a tool so I'll take it anyway. Might as well take it while I can. Here's a picture of an aphyric rhyolite scraper I found in another field. Crude again, but you can see that there is a dark interior inside too.

 

[rock]

Keep saving all of them then look at your collection in 5 yrs.

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Lol. That'll be something. You should see my old bedroom in my parents house. Each dresser top or desk has rocks/gems/seashells/artifacts on it in jars or containers. There are some frames of arrowheads on one dresser and then there is like 10 boxes of rocks/lithic materials/stone tools sitting in the floor. Plus there is like 5 disc-shaped containers with flakes the size of my pinky nail to flakes longer than my thumb. I like checking out some with a UV light also. That's my hobby office! Lol! I used like to share my rock collection in elementary school or in an earth science class in h.s. And I still enjoy sharing now, 15 years after graduating. Later this week, I'm going to pan for gold for the first time, metal detect and hunt for artifacts. The location is about a 2 hr. drive. I surely hope I don't leave there empty-handed.

 

[GatorBoy]

Sounds like we grew up as twins

 

[ncnurseryman]

I would have kept it too. I keep all the material I find no matter the size.

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Sounds like we grew up as twins

Think about if we were like Siamese twins though. You think that we can have double the chance to find something? You can look one way, and I'll look the other. We can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time and potentially find more. Then I can share your g/f and you can share mine so what's yours is mine. My nickname ain't Rockhead for nothing. HAHA!

 

[GatorBoy]

Yikes

 

[rockheadhunter421]

I like to use my imagination, didn't mean to speak out. I'm a character so I'm just pickin' buddy! Sounds like we could have the life of a cartoon. I'm thinking already there should be a cartoon about treasure hunting. Something kinda like National Treasure maybe. A good name would be "The Treasure Cove Twins." LMAO!

 

[rock]

Yikes

 

[dinx]

Beautiful spot

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Beautiful spot

There is another mountain, Pilot Mountain that makes a beautiful picture in all times of the year. Google images of Pilot Mountain, NC and read the Wikipedia article also. That formation is very important to the Native Americans that lived in the surrounding Piedmont of NC. Thanks for the reply!

 

[NC field hunter]

Rockhead, I find quite a few scrapers like the one you posted. I think the rounded edge was for scraping or chopping. The pointed side, I've always thought could have been used as a graver of sorts. I'm sure it is an artifact. The small piece may be a spokeshave. The cooking ball, I'm not sure about. Pilot Mt. Is a beauty. I've always wanted to go to the top of the knob. Nice finds!

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Great job explaining considering I don't take the best pictures. I'm going to finally get an iphone 5C so hopefully my picture taking skills will get better too. After making my venture to Cabarrus/Stanly Co. today, that color of rhyolite and a more bluish color of rhyolite is very common. The site I went to is literally covered with natural rhyolite all over the place. Randolph & Montgomery Co. is the same way too. The best way I can describe it as: It is the heartland for NC rhyolite and lithic materials. I'm going to post this venture tomorrow evening. Thanks for the replies!

 

[GatorBoy]

I like the blue ish colored stuff sometimes it has a higher silica content.

 

[GatorBoy]

Sounds like you're in a good area

 

[rockheadhunter421]

Yea I like it too. There is a light blue and a dark blue. I actually think the darker blue is considered the higher quality. I didn't find any of that today though. I found that high quality north of Morrow Mtn. at a secondary quarry site. The stuff I found today is basically a few different forms. Then I found some white quartz too. The site I went to today was amazing. I don't want to ruin it but I found something not an artifact that is an awesome find. I'm really tired right now so I'm going to take the pictures tomorrow after work and post them. I took the day off today for this venture and it was truly worth it.

 

[rockheadhunter421]

GB you ever hunted in NC before? Is that where you picked them up at?