Help with a possible Penobscot Bay chert scraper?

[The Aluminum Monster]

Hi all. I am asking a question for my sister-in-law(ish). She's an eyeball find treasure hunter and does not have an account here. She just got back from a long weekend in the Penobscot Bay region in Maine and came across this white piece that she believes is a chert scraper. She asked me my opinion and I immediately thought was to come here and ask. I mean, I think it looks like a scraper but I've seen a lot of things get posted that I would think were worked by man but you all with the discerning eye can tell are not.

I couldn't even begin to touch the knowledge that this community has on these sorts of things so I told her I would try to get some information from you all. She left the piece at the cabin she was renting so these five pictures are all I have to offer. She also is of the opinion that the rhyolite pieces she has in the photo are discards from the native tribes, but I do know that you can find rhyolite all along Penobscot Bay left over from the glaciers.

So, I told her I would ask you all and I would give her an answer, good or bad, if there was information to be had.

Thanks for anything you could offer for info,

Jay

 

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[antmike915]

I would say negative, just a rock.

 

[The Aluminum Monster]

I should add that she stated she found them along the shoreline. I don't know if waves and weathering helps or hurts her case. My super untrained eye doesn't see anything in the rhyolite pieces.

 

[antmike915]

All look natural to me, no work detail on any of them. I do believe that both types of material were used though. Has she found any points or anything else there or close by?

 

[unclemac]

I find most of my points on the beach...the wear would be all wrong for those....

 

[Charl]

The rhyolite pieces very closely resemble Marblehead Rhyolite, which outcrops along the coast north of Boston. Artifacts made from the lithic are widely distributed in New England. Certainly, that would include Maine.

 

[Charl]

Here is a Marblehead rhyolite point from RI. Marblehead rhyolite is one of the more easily identifiable types of rhyolite found in New England. Some varieties of Marblehead show little patina, even in Early Archaic pieces, which is the case with this point. It shows little patina, despite its age. Otherwise, patinated artifacts will range in color from maroon to grey to black. I can’t be certain you don’t have similar appearing rhyolite outcropping in Maine, but, again Marblehead rhyolite artifacts can be found throughout New England. It was a very commonly sourced rhyolite....

 

[The Aluminum Monster]

All look natural to me, no work detail on any of them. I do believe that both types of material were used though. Has she found any points or anything else there or close by?

She did not find any points despite looking. No flakes near those rhyolite pieces either.

 

[The Aluminum Monster]

I find most of my points on the beach...the wear would be all wrong for those....

Good information that I will pass along. Her strong areas are bottle dumps so we are both very inexperienced in NA artifacts.

 

[The Aluminum Monster]

Here is a Marblehead rhyolite point from RI. Marblehead rhyolite is one of the more easily identifiable types of rhyolite found in New England. Some varieties of Marblehead show little patina, even in Early Archaic pieces, which is the case with this point. It shows little patina, despite its age. Otherwise, patinated artifacts will range in color from maroon to grey to black. I can’t be certain you don’t have similar appearing rhyolite outcropping in Maine, but, again Marblehead rhyolite artifacts can be found throughout New England. It was a very commonly sourced rhyolite....

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That is awesome and some great information. Most of the rhyolite found along Penobscot bay came from Mt. Kineo in the Moosehead lake region. Obviously, it looks very similar.

Compelling history: Mount Kineo has the largest known deposit of rhyolite in North America, which made it the premier destination for early natives who used the rock to make arrowheads and tools. This geological formation was also a destination for Henry David Thoreau and Teddy Roosevelt.

That said, she did not find anything resembling a worked point like you've shown, or flaking off those bigger pieces of rhyolite.

 

[Charl]

That is awesome and some great information. Most of the rhyolite found along Penobscot bay came from Mt. Kineo in the Moosehead lake region. Obviously, it looks very similar.

Compelling history: Mount Kineo has the largest known deposit of rhyolite in North America, which made it the premier destination for early natives who used the rock to make arrowheads and tools. This geological formation was also a destination for Henry David Thoreau and Teddy Roosevelt.

That said, she did not find anything resembling a worked point like you've shown, or flaking off those bigger pieces of rhyolite.

Kineo rhyolite was widely distributed as well. You’ve seen it a lot more than myself, I’m sure. In the lithics section of Jeff Boudreau’s New England typology guide, he states regarding Kineo: “This lithic, outcropping in central ME, typically has a green color and patina and is characterized by the sometimes large snowflake-like phenocrysts”. Makes sense that Kineo would be a more abundant lithic where you hunt that Marblehead....