✅ SOLVED My charcoal questions

[NCPeaches]

Thanks autographcollector for opening the discussion door on this topic This is charcoal I find in my creek, it's hard like a rock but lightweight and doesn't rub off or crumble. I've always been curious about it and my thoughts are that it must be pretty old to be that hard. Probably not Native American and thinking the only way to tell is if it's tested for age by the archies here. Anybody up for giving insight about it feel free to say what you want, I'm open to any suggestions and really curious about it.

 

[jamey]

if you just burn wood the right way it could last for thousands of years

 

[Hot diggity]

Last year I thought I found several fire pits, until I realized there must have been a forest fire long ago. The charcoal was deep/old. Preserves quite well. U could have it carbon dated, but it hardly seems worth the trouble. HH

 

[Sidevalve45]

Looks like actual coal rather than charcoal to me. I'm not an expert however.

Sidevalve45

 

[NCPeaches]

Looks like actual coal rather than charcoal to me. I'm not an expert however.

Sidevalve45

Now there's a thought. I live near a mountain range, might be coal there. I'll question some of the old timers and see what they say. Thanks!

 

[ptsofnc]

Looks like actual coal rather than charcoal to me. I'm not an expert however.

Sidevalve45

Same here. But I'm no expert either. It just doesn't look like the "bits" and fragments of charcoal at depth that I've found and know with certainty to be charcoal.

 

[rock]

Looks like actual coal rather than charcoal to me. I'm not an expert however.

Sidevalve45

I will 3rd that answer looks like natural coal.

 

[Indian Steve]

Hi Peaches, It is coal. Charcoal is lighter and usually crumbles easily. Charcoal in a suspected campsite could signs of a firepit, trash pit, forest fire or even an old brush pile that someone burned.

 

[1320]

The Coal test....put a lighter or match to one corner for a few seconds....coal has a smell like no other. I doubt that you'd find charcoal in a creek, possible but unlikely.

 

[RockinIdaho]

I found pieces that look like those just last week. I cut through a field in my way home the other day and checked out a few gopher hole dirt piles they are light weight and hard. No color when whet and tap your tooth it feels like plastic.

 

[monsterrack]

The others have it right , it is coal of some type(there are a lot of type's of coal). I have found charcoal from when the Ice age mammals walked this earth and it has a high shine but when you try to break it , it will crumble and make a black smudge.

 

[NCPeaches]

I talked to a man who grew up in this area and he said they used coal for heat, told me all about it which I found interesting because growing up in Georgia we had gas for heat and I had no experiences with coal. I appreciate all the input from all of you and now my mystery is solved I can move this out of my Native American artifact storing area. Thanks guys!