Outstanding 2 1/8" Knife River Flint Folsom

[TundraPlugger]

This is not a personal find of mine but you all know I wish it was!
It is a 2 1/8" Folsom point made of extremely patinated Knife River Flint from Williams County, ND.
The stone is starting to have small pits forming in its surface where it is deteriorating.

Enjoy!

 

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[newnan man]

That us an incredible Folsom! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Buckleberry]

Sweet folsom, why would unweathered stone/chert deteriorate?

 

[uniface]

Sweet folsom, why would unweathered stone/chert deteriorate?

Read first.

"Extremely patinated."

Meaning very weathered from long exposure to rain and sun.

 

[Relicgrubber]

Nice one for sure TP.

Is it in your collection or someone else’s? Post a pic looking up the base. Those are the money shots imo.

 

[Buckleberry]

Read first.

"Extremely patinated."

Meaning very weathered from long exposure to rain and sun.

Yes, I got that the first reading, and my comment was in reference to currently not being weathered AKA exposed to the elements which would detiorate stone.
I could see if it was a bone or something that is very susceptible to temp and humidity.
The question remains.

 

[Fat]

...I think it’s a natural Caliche that will form in different conditions. I’ve seen lots of artifacts with it, a natural no brained authentication..

 

[Buckleberry]

...I think it’s a natural Caliche that will form in different conditions. I’ve seen lots of artifacts with it, a natural no brained authentication..

Ah, so it's a caliche...does that tend to deteriorate?

 

[Older The Better]

If I?m not mistaken caliche moves down through the soil with water so I would think it would deteriorate again when exposed to to water again. Heck of a point though not many that actually make me a little jealous Folsom?s almost always are beautifully made. That base kinda reminds me of a bulls horns.

 

[uniface]

Caliche pretty well presupposes limestone in the immediate envronment.

 

[Fat]

Ah, so it's a caliche...does that tend to deteriorate?

...it can give that appearance, I don’t think deteriorates or erodes. I think I have some pics of on my phone, I will check and post up..

 

[TundraPlugger]

Sweet folsom, why would unweathered stone/chert deteriorate?

I'm not sure why it deteriorates but it has small tiny pits forming in the face. I would guess it's the minerals in the soil, probably very alkalitic. I've only ever seen that happen a few times but it usually only happens right at the surface where the patina is the thickest. I've never seen it happen on pieces without heavy patina or fossiliferous inclusions.

 

[Fat]

[=CONFIG]1947820[/ATTACH]
…the only pic I see on my phone with what Im trying to explain

 

[sandchip]

Extraordinary point!

 

[TundraPlugger]

View attachment 1947819[=CONFIG]1947820[/ATTACH]
?the only pic I see on my phone with what Im trying to explain

That stone has caliche on it, just like the Folsom point. It is calcium carbonate. I see it a lot up here.

 

[TundraPlugger]

Yes, I got that the first reading, and my comment was in reference to currently not being weathered AKA exposed to the elements which would detiorate stone.
I could see if it was a bone or something that is very susceptible to temp and humidity.
The question remains.

Some of the minerals in the ground up here can really be tough on KRF. I don't know what minerals do it though. If you have Jeb Taylor's book he has a picture of a 3" Knife River Flint Folsom that was found about 10 miles south of where this one was....it is heavily patinated and also has the same deterioration as can be seen starting on this point.

 

[joshuaream]

Wow, that is the stuff of dreams!

 

[joshuaream]

Sweet folsom, why would unweathered stone/chert deteriorate?

Time, the moisture content of the soil, pH level of the soil (aka bison urine), UV radiation, and even temperature have a lot to do with how that particular flint (and other geologically similar silicified lignites) patinate. It's not so much deterioration like bone artifacts, that Folsom point probably has a couple hundred thousand years left before it crumbles away into a pile of white dust. I have bone artifacts that I didn't chemically preserve that I cannot move from their frame. They were perfectly solid 30 years ago, but are now very fragile.

Over 10,000 years of "micro-climates" in a single cubic inch of soil can cause massive patina differences in KRF. So two pieces from the same broken relic often have very different patinas (one completely frosted over white, the other looks freshly knapped.) Neat stuff really.

 

[old digger]

Just Magnificent! I am sure that the alkaline that seeps through the soil does alter the coloration on KRF. The extent of long periods of heat, water, and being in an alkaline state will affect the surface Knife River Flint. It will turn the surface of the artifact from it's original color to a yellowish hue to a ghostly color of white. This is just what I have witnessed around here where there is quite an abundance of alkaline seepage in the soils.

 

[quito]

One side up one side down in South Dakota soil.