Hi Katie-
yeah- you're looking for 'interesting looking' rocks- and I do that too, sometimes. If something looks weird enough, I'll pick it up and try to figure it out. But I live in the land of a million river cobbles- many of which look a heck of a lot like 'tools' or 'tools of convenience' (at least that's what I call them- meaning they've been so worked by water/ice and friction over time that they often look like the most common hardstone tools shown here on this and other sites). And in regards to the ear-like shapes you're finding, I wonder. Found in water-related area? That aside, keep in mind when you're looking around- don't look for polished rocks- smooth to the touch. 9 times out of ten- and probably more like 90 times out of 100- they're not man-made. They make me scratch my head a lot, but I'm not fooled anymore. Of course, I do have a (badly sagging) table of 'probably just geofacts' in my back yard...just in case I find out something down the road explaining my finds
I live on the Bay side of the Eastern Shore. I have the incredible good fortune of haveing a tone of great places to look- all tidewater- which I find a huge advantage. Tide in, tide out, erosion, shore prizes at low tide! But it does take some time 'training your eye' as Rock said. I spent a lot of time convincing newbies NOT to pick up triangular rocks, just because they're triangular. And there are a lot of folks on this site who started out showing us pictures of geofacts they were SURE were tools because they 'fit their hand just right'. Let me tell you, when you actually find a hardstone tool, you'll know it. Now, the points are a little easier. Around here- and in your area too (I used to live in Charlottesville), there's a ton of quartz- not the ideal stone to knap. However, I (and many others here) have found some excellent examples of quartz points. My very first point ever was a tiny milky quartz dart (a no-name variety), and the ONLY way to recognize that it was a point and not just a little fragment of quartz was the 'ripple' of knapping marks along each side- little indentations where (they) pressure-flaked the edges to sharpen it. Once you can recognize that tell-tale ripple, you're onto it! As a side-line comment, I remember reading on this site, years ago, a guy who said fairly specifically, NOT to pick up every flake you find- not to strip the site of all evidence. I think the guy was looking to the future generations who might come across the site years from now and perhaps do further research. I try to keep that in mind, although I do pick up flakes, and I do- absolutely- look for them as evidence of a 'working area'- a place they sat around making points. Often they are within a community- or on the outskirts. Many items found in such places, I believe, are 'seconds'- or perhaps beginners' work. The good stuff would be carried on a hunt, possibly lost by accident- a drop or a mis-shot or the target animal ran away and never found- with the point still embedded. But to be clear, there will nearly always be stuff when flakes are found- unless someone got there first...
Have you found anything beyond what's in your hand? You asked about the light green stone- being too soft... keep in mind too, that some stones will change over time. Some rocks oxidize and change color, some degrade and become porous (and seemingly unsuitable for a tool, although at one point they were find- although perhaps not 'ideal'. Quartz doesn't do anything other than errode in sandy/watery circumstances, grow moss/algae, aquire a 'patina' due to pollution-- like many flints and cherts. If you're looking for points in a stream in the woods (or near trees) at this time of year, you're ging to get sick and tires of poking at leaves- which look mighty similar in water- or in the dim light of a forest. Also, one last thing (I know..Finally!) go on line and check out known areas where Native Americans settles and had communities. Then look for the source of fresh water (a google map or mapquest or whatever). Look there. If in streams, look on the down-stream side of a larger rock or boulder-- or where sand and pebbles have washed up during a flood. And good luck. Sorry for being long-winded. I don't get on this site often, and always have too much to say when I do...
