Can you know how or why a point is broken?

[Mr Bojangles]

Are there any good places to read about how and why a point is broken by looking at them? I found this broken tip and noticed there is a color difference in the rock. The outside of the rock is darker than the inside. Does that mean it is a recent break?

[Hal Gorges]

I guess, the first place to start is explaining the difference in color and texture in the break area, this is called the patina....Three ways a point can break...1 is in manufacturing, in this case there will be no patina...2 is an impact fracture from use, in that case there’s no difference in the patina .... 3 is modern damage, and here you should see a lot of patina or hardly any, depending on the stone, some agate types hardly show any patina, but it is always there on an ancient point....P.S.: newer points can exhibit more of a patina than older ones...That’s the crux of it...My opinion as always,

[Jethro355]

I have one that has an ear broken off it.

I know exactly how it was broken. 14 year old me dropped it while showing it off at school. :-(

[Uncle Trav]

Plow strikes, freeze and thaw cycles, rolling around in a creek forever, manufacturing flaw or struck something when it was used. No way to tell for sure. If the area where the break is has sharp edges it could be fairly recent. How recent can that be? Not sure but time will soften the broken area over time. Artifacts hold their secrets close. Holding and artifact and imagining it’s story is what makes the hobby fun for me.

[SurfaceHunter]

If you are digging for them I would say it looks fresh and the other half is still in the hole.

[Mr Bojangles]

Interesting. I found it in the surface. I wonder if it possibly got driven over by a pickup or swather /baler in the past. It's an area we sometimes hay. Maybe someday I'll find the rest of it.

[Mr Bojangles]

After reading about patina (which is new for me) I think it must be a recent break.