Please help identify this rock!

[heartofstone1847]

Found this rock in a little creek. It is super hard material. Fits perfectly in my hand when used as a hand axe and, although the edge is not sharp, is able to hack into wood without any damage. I am wondering if it is a man made tool or natural. If it’s man made then could it be a hand axe? Area it was found has a ton of Native American history. The creek I found it in had recently experienced extreme flooding so there had been a large amount of erosion on the walls of the creek.

 

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[DizzyDigger]

It's an interesting shape, but I would have to go with it being a natural stone as I see no evidence of it being worked by man.

There is one edge that's not shown..is there any evidence of it being struck there? My thought here is that it could have been used as a wedge.

 

[Almy]

It has a thinner edge than some celts I have found, so it could be in a sharpness range that aboriginal people found useful. It does look like a natural rock, but it might well have been picked up and used as a handle-less hand axe (celt).

 

[ToddsPoint]

Your rock looks like gneiss to me. Pronounced “nice”. It’s a metamorphic rock. Very rarely used by Indians for artifacts. Never used for axes or celts. I’d say it’s natural and not an artifact.

 

[Blackfoot58]

I agree it’s most likely not an artifact and most probably is gneiss. Every type of rock exhibits a cleave style of its own.
This refers to how the rock typically breaks. Gneiss cleaves along its banding lines. This could explain the tapered affect on yours. For better info search the web for Gneiss characteristics.

 

[heartofstone1847]

Thanks so much for the responses! I figured the least I could do is add some better images and I would love to hear if they change anyone's opinions at all in terms of man-made vs natural.....

 

[Blackfoot58]

With the lighting change, it may be diabase rather than gneiss IDK

 

[newnan man]

Natural rock.

 

[heartofstone1847]

Natural rock.

Thanks for checking this out! Would you mind explaining why this is natural over man-made in your analysis? I know I'm not an expert but just speaking purely on my life experience I have never seen a natural rock that:
a. Has such noticeable and consistent angles/faces
b. Fits perfectly in my hand if used an a hand/axe

My gut instinct was that if a & b are true then it is more likely than not man-made but since I have zero expertise I would really appreciate you teaching me what the tell tale signs are that this is a natural rock. Thanks!

 

[ToddsPoint]

First, your rock is the wrong kind of rock to make an axe from. Gneiss is a metamorphic rock that would shatter if used as an axe. Indian axes are made from dark igneous rocks like diabase and diorite. They are shaped by pecking. Your rock was shaped by fracturing. Two random fractures that form an edge. Mother Nature, possibly glacial action, broke your rock into that shape. That doesn’t mean some Indian might have picked it up and used it as an expedient tool. As far as it “fitting your hand”, about any stone that size would fit your hand. It’s because your hand is made to hold things of many shapes. Your skepticism is common among new artifact hunters. There is no shortage of people on the Internet insisting their nature shaped rocks are artifacts. Google “portable rock art” and you’ll see. Don’t fall for this trap. Without reading or having a mentor, you’d be hard pressed to realize what the things left behind on an Indian campsite were used for, and whether they are artifacts shaped by man or not. You need to dive deeper. Find an experienced artifact hunter to take you out and show you. Good luck!

 

[newnan man]

Thanks for checking this out! Would you mind explaining why this is natural over man-made in your analysis? I know I'm not an expert but just speaking purely on my life experience I have never seen a natural rock that:
a. Has such noticeable and consistent angles/faces
b. Fits perfectly in my hand if used an a hand/axe

My gut instinct was that if a & b are true then it is more likely than not man-made but since I have zero expertise I would really appreciate you teaching me what the tell tale signs are that this is a natural rock. Thanks!

Todd's Point is correct.

 

[Blackfoot58]

Hand fit means absolutely nothing. My nearest creek is surrounded with rocks that fit nicely in my hand. They aren’t artifacts. You’d understand better if you’d read about stone artifacts. There’s a lot of great material available.
Your pursuit is truly laudable. Keep learning.