Artifact or just an agate?

[EricTheCat]

I found this agate a few years ago near the North shore of Lake Superior (Silver Bay area). Since I found it I sometimes wonder if it could be an old tool, but part of me says this is just mother nature's handy work. I would love to get some opinions from people more knowledgeable about artifacts.

Only one side of the stone has chips in it. It is the same side that has what seems like a groove cut in to it. The groove makes a great place to hold on to the stone. When I hold it in the way the 2nd picture down shows it is quite comfortable to hold and I even feel like I could clean a fish with it if I really wanted to. The other side is quite flat.









Any thoughts/opinions would be greatly appreciated. I won't hold it against anyone who says "no it's just an agate", I'm looking for the truth.

Thanks for looking,
Eric

 

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[Tnmountains]

I am a thinking natural breaks. If they made something they made something after that is is just reduction flakes unless it has secondary work meaning edge work.

 

[wells]

looks like a little end scrapper.

 

[Tnmountains]

looks like a little end scrapper.

After super zooming it in. It does appear to have edge work. I stand corrected. Thanks Wells!

 

[EricTheCat]

Wow, well this sounds hopeful. Thanks for the thoughts. It does seem to me to have the more than usual natural sharp edge to me. I have probably >1000 agates and the edge on this one stands out.

Here is a closer crop, in case it helps:

 

[yakker]

I'd agree-- and such a nice-looking piece of agate too. Don't get that nice banded stuff out here on the Atlantic side... Let us know if you find some more suspicious pieces

 

[NCPeaches]

I love it and the color is so nice...maybe it's a utilized flake. Even if it was a geofact it's a super nice find and something I would collect if we had that stone type in my area.

 

[unclemac]

very nice rock!

 

[BosnMate]

Looks like it's been worked, possibly a one time use tool for something he needed done, flesh a small hide, bark an arrow shaft, something like that.

 

[Mark Todd]

Eric The Cat, your last post on this thread says much about whether your agate is likely an artifact or not. If you've picked up 100's or thousands and most do not have similar fractures then it makes this one all the more likely to be worked by human hands. The local context is always very important when trying to decide about a particular items probability

 

[EricTheCat]

Thanks everyone so much.

Upon further review of my agates last night I couldn't help but notice another one that is strikingly similar. It too was found in Northern Minnesota, only this one was found at a gravel pit near Cloquet. What are your thoughts on this #2?






Very comfortable to hold the same way.



Here it is next to #1, #1 on the left, #2 on the right.


If #2 is an artifact I am sure glad I did not start my next rock tumble yet. :O

 

[PaDirtDigger]

They look like good possibilities to me... Sometimes though, when tumbled around in river beds, the edges can get what appears to be retouch flaking. So it can be tricky and confusing sometimes...are there any flakings or other artifacts found where u got these?
Glad u didnt tumble them!! They are promising for sure...

 

[EricTheCat]

Yes, I agree nature can do some tricky things to chip up rock such as the glaciers that broke these agates out of their host rock in the first place. I did not notice other flakings or artifacts in the areas I found these but I was really concentrating on finding agates in each case so I could easily have overlooked something. I may get another opportunity this summer to go to the gravel pit where I found #2 and if I do I will be sure to do some more investigation. Hopefully as my eye develops I can put more context around future findings by recognizing the signs when I find them.

 

[Bum Luck]

just an agate?

Ha! Gotta laugh at that one! I'd kill for one of those. Much less a thousand.

I do find a lot of worked stuff around here, and my first observation is they're pretty small for tools.

The shore of Lake Superior is a tough environment, lots of bad storms and rocks tossed around, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that. Agate is essentially glass, so they will fracture like glass, flint, and silicas. Sometimes it's tough to tell. NC Peaches finds a lot of worked stuff too, so her perspective is worthwhile.

Since she doesn't find any agates in her area, maybe you could send her one of yours! (hint hint)

 

[EricTheCat]

Haha Bum Luck. Yeah "beautiful-red-nicely-banded-agate" seemed like a little much for the title. Hmm.. Beautiful-red-nicely-banded-agate-artifact sure has a nice ring to it though. Seriously though, I love agates to the extent that I would have a hard time moving out of this area simply because of the agates. That said, finding an artifact would mean a lot to me so finding an agate+artifact would really be something! Hmm... Parting with an agate would be tough. Other than a few small ones I have given to my mom over the years I have only actually given one away - I gave a really nice one that I polished to my niece about a month ago just before she moved far away. I may be able to be coerced to sending a few little agates to someone interested if they PM me, but I cannot make any guarantees.

 

[Bum Luck]

Haha Bum Luck. Yeah "beautiful-red-nicely-banded-agate" seemed like a little much for the title. Hmm.. Beautiful-red-nicely-banded-agate-artifact sure has a nice ring to it though. Seriously though, I love agates to the extent that I would have a hard time moving out of this area simply because of the agates. That said, finding an artifact would mean a lot to me so finding an agate+artifact would really be something! Hmm... Parting with an agate would be tough. Other than a few small ones I have given to my mom over the years I have only actually given one away - I gave a really nice one that I polished to my niece about a month ago just before she moved far away. I may be able to be coerced to sending a few little agates to someone interested if they PM me, but I cannot make any guarantees.

As wonderful as that sounds to me, I'd prefer NCPeaches would get one rather than me. Something tells me she'd like one.

I've spent hours combing the beaches on Keweenaw looking for them, and found none. I even crawled down a near-vertical rock like a lizard on High Rock Bay to pry out what looked like an agate, but it wasn't. I haven't got my dive suit on yet, though.

 

[NCPeaches]

As wonderful as that sounds to me, I'd prefer NCPeaches would get one rather than me. Something tells me she'd like one.

I've spent hours combing the beaches on Keweenaw looking for them, and found none. I even crawled down a near-vertical rock like a lizard on High Rock Bay to pry out what looked like an agate, but it wasn't. I haven't got my dive suit on yet, though.

I would like one but I think Bum Luck likes them much more than me and I would prefer if you're thinking about sending any out that you send one to him. Ya'll both are really sweet guys!

 

[rock]

I think it is a base to a broken point. Sure would of been easy on the eyes.