More quartz! O-Happy Day!

yakker · Nov 25, 2014

So... Been a while since I've been back down to the 'yonder field', and it's rained- but also it's been driven over in the painful process of removing boulders and stumps, so in many ways, I try not to get my hopes up too much. Nonetheless, every time I'm out, I pick up pretty crystal-clear (not 'crystals') pieces of quartz- some of them w/ a little crystalline formation- some irony/rusty, some seeming to be pushing towards the amethyst hues (I'll post them some other time). This is the field in question. A dreary-looking place. Makes me sad that it was plowed over, rough-shod and w/o concern (or awareness...or time) of what may lie below the surface.

But the other day, I got a couple nice surprises!

Broken spear tip (looks too uniform to be a knife, but I could be wrong)

Forgot to get an insitu of the last little guy...

But here's the real surprise... of all the things to find (granted, I was practically crawling)
The missing tip!!

Group shot:

Thanks for looking and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Yakker

GaRebel1861 · Nov 25, 2014

Very nice!

jamey · Nov 25, 2014

took me years to put one togethor, and you did it in one day,ya yakker

theviking · Nov 25, 2014

Very nice! Gotta love Quartz. That field looks like it would destroy a plow. Thanks for the view.

yakker · Nov 25, 2014

jamey said:
took me years to put one togethor, and you did it in one day,ya yakker

The original base, I found/posted on 10/28... and no... I really could not believe it. Not a perfect fit- obviously crushed by machinery, but under magnification, it's the same piece of quartz. and the same edge-work. Go freaking figure!

GatorBoy · Nov 25, 2014

Oh happy day! ..That was funny.... That was a real good hunt.. Congratulations on your finds and finding an area that should be real productive for you

NCPeaches · Nov 25, 2014

What are they trying to do in that field? Doesn't look like a good place to plant. And look at you finding those quartz points! You've got a better eye than me...I would have a terrible time finding things in that field. Lookin like you had a great day!

yakker · Nov 25, 2014

theviking said:
Very nice! Gotta love Quartz. That field looks like it would destroy a plow. Thanks for the view.

I keep finding pieces of some sort of ... other rock. I'll try to post some pics that show what I mean. And I'm always pleased when I do find it- proving there's something else out there other than just quartz. And that field? I've seen front-loaders and backhoes. These guys broke *3* plows just trying to clear a 1/4 acre garden! The gal I worked for laughed (in a sad kinda way) when I asked if she ever looked for points... clearly she'd had just about enough of 'rocks'. Takes a lot of hard work to clear a small (small) farm down in Nelson. Yak

here's a not-too-great (indoor, bad light) pic of the 'other' kind of rock. Seems to be some sort of med. fine quartzite- not quite chert, not quite sugar... And the small piece above the chunk looks like a point in the pic- but it isn't. No flaking at all. There's a 'bell' mark on the chunk, so I know it was whacked by something, and would be workable. But the color is like greenish slick mud, and doesn't stand out well. I'll have to use my opera glasses to find it

yakker · Nov 25, 2014

NCPeaches said:
What are they trying to do in that field? Doesn't look like a good place to plant. And look at you finding those quartz points! You've got a better eye than me...I would have a terrible time finding things in that field. Lookin like you had a great day!

They're planning on planting berry canes up there- something that dominates the 'scrub' just beyond the tree line. Thinking forward- probably a 'pick-your-own' thing. And here's the thing- the quartz sticks out like a sore thumb- which is both good and bad. The machinery has crushed some huge hunks of quartz. Sometimes it's hard to tell a worked 'flake' from a scrap. When I'm done, my back is screaming from bending over so much... and I end up taking WAY too much home-- and after a decent rain, it's like slogging through dog-do (terrible imagery, but it applies here :tard:

) Hoping to hit it tomorrow, if it doesn't snow, that is... Cheers! Yak

NC field hunter · Nov 26, 2014

Yakker, I can certainly see you aren't many miles away from me. That field looks like home. By the way nice finds. Quartz can get overbearing. It takes a great while to distinguish Unworked from worked Quartz, without bending the back. Not that I'm that good, however, I know guys that are. I have noticed your mention of Quartz crystals a couple of times in different threads. I love finding crystals. The crystals tend to stay together. Where you find one, you'll find five. Iron pyrites are the same way. If you find a spot full of iron pyrites, a circle of crystals will be nearby. Both are almost always found in red clay.

sandchip · Nov 26, 2014

Heck, yes! That Greenbriar (or whatever it be) in pic 2 is killer.

ptsofnc · Nov 26, 2014

I think you said awhile back that you just moved to this area. I predict that you will discover some rich areas/fields that you'll be given permission to hunt. VA is a great state. But those find are real nice. Good luck.

redbeardrelics · Nov 26, 2014

Very nice Yak ! The outline of the first one looks like a Halifax, but something tells me it is probably even older than that. Sure is a difficult but interesting looking site you have there. It makes sense that if you are the first and only artifact hunter there, that odds are higher than normal in being able to piece together points that get separated. I hope and suspect there will be lots more finds there for you.
The comments of the gal you worked for made me chuckle, cause it reminded me of the only time as a teenager that I went to my Grandfather and his brother's rocky farm field to look for points. Grandad's brother gave me such a guilt trip about looking for arrowheads instead of clearing the larger stones from the fields as they had done for generations, that I never went back. I was such an irresponsible teenager

.

theviking · Nov 26, 2014

yakker said:
I keep finding pieces of some sort of ... other rock. I'll try to post some pics that show what I mean. And I'm always pleased when I do find it- proving there's something else out there other than just quartz. And that field? I've seen front-loaders and backhoes. These guys broke *3* plows just trying to clear a 1/4 acre garden! The gal I worked for laughed (in a sad kinda way) when I asked if she ever looked for points... clearly she'd had just about enough of 'rocks'. Takes a lot of hard work to clear a small (small) farm down in Nelson. Yak

here's a not-too-great (indoor, bad light) pic of the 'other' kind of rock. Seems to be some sort of med. fine quartzite- not quite chert, not quite sugar... And the small piece above the chunk looks like a point in the pic- but it isn't. No flaking at all. There's a 'bell' mark on the chunk, so I know it was whacked by something, and would be workable. But the color is like greenish slick mud, and doesn't stand out well. I'll have to use my opera glasses to find it

View attachment 1084387

Do you mean Nelson co? I've got a few pieces from Nelson. I'm not sure what the material is in the pic, I have a few unidentified pieces myself. There is some strange Rhyolite that comes from that area, or south and east of you, some of it looks like Quartzite. Check out the different Rhyolites on this site provided by the state.

http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/arch_DHR/Lithics/lsumm.xml

yakker · Nov 26, 2014

Viking! Thanks for that reference site- I just looked at everything. Never really got the hang of geology and lithics before- what the raw material looked like. So used to the cobble around the E.S. Bay area. To me- and only from pics- it would seem this might be grey chert. Close. I'm going to keep going back to that site to check everything I find. I was trying to find rock types through a local rock mineral (state) site- and having little luck. Many thanks.

ptsofnc- I like your prediction!

NC- thanks for the tip- I'm a very green/junior/wet behind the ears rock hound (but have always collected rocks- not knowing necessarily what they were). Trying to get a grip on what I find- and always on the lookout.

Red- now I'm chuckling at your comments-- and I'm the irresponsible adult! Yak

Charl · Nov 26, 2014

Those are nice quartz points. Before I joined forums, I thought southern New England was the only area in the country where quartz dominated. Obviously, not so at all, as I learned soon enough. I have a confession, yakker, and I hope you never find yourself saying the same thing:
I am so sick and tired of quartz :laughing7:

But, I take them anyway 8-)

theviking · Nov 26, 2014

yakker said:
Viking! Thanks for that reference site- I just looked at everything. Never really got the hang of geology and lithics before- what the raw material looked like. So used to the cobble around the E.S. Bay area. To me- and only from pics- it would seem this might be grey chert. Close. I'm going to keep going back to that site to check everything I find. I was trying to find rock types through a local rock mineral (state) site- and having little luck. Many thanks.

ptsofnc- I like your prediction!

NC- thanks for the tip- I'm a very green/junior/wet behind the ears rock hound (but have always collected rocks- not knowing necessarily what they were). Trying to get a grip on what I find- and always on the lookout.

Red- now I'm chuckling at your comments-- and I'm the irresponsible adult! Yak

It could be, I think grey chert is found all over VA. I have a piece from Nelson co that has a white patina, but a plow ding shows the light grey chert inside. Very similar to the grey chert I find around here.