Some interesting Central Mass materials

[clambellies]

There's a small site in central Mass that produces very few artifacts but the multi component site has given up a Paleo point that I know of, and I've found Nevilles, Starks and a Bifurcate point there.  The odd thing is, the chips found there cover a very wide range of materials, and some of it rather interesting.  Here's some of the materials and a broken bifurcate from that site.  The second photo shows a material that has pot lid fractures from heat.

[CMD]

Nice lithics. Wish I were better at IDing then I am. Seen most of those down here in RI. In the bottom row, 4th from left is something we run into at one site in particular. 3rd from left there is jasper, of course. Could be Pa or Limerock, RI.

[OnewiththewilD]

i see crystal quartz,jasper,felsite,chalcadony (i think?) and is that argillite in the middle? nice taunton river bifurcate too!

[clambellies]

I certainly need a little education on materials.  The two light green materials, second row - second from the left and bottom row - first from the left interest me a lot.  I have a Neville and a Stark and some chips from that material that I'll be posting soon.

[Hoss]

Nice material thanks for sharing the picture. first on left second row looks like Munsungan Chert. thrid from left bottom row nic jasper. I think the piece that is potlid fractured is jasper too that has been alter by heat.

[clambellies]

It's a small site that puzzles me as the material is so varied but the number of artifacts found there is very small.  Perhaps it was picked over heavily years back, but since it's the shoreline of a pond with most of the site underwater, I doubt that.  We only rarely have drought conditions that lowers the pond.

[CMD]

In the bottom row, the first on the left may be a translucent green quartzite. I have seen Neville's down here made of something looking just like that. But, with these photos, they are good, but really need to see some things in hand to really see clearly enough.
In the middle row, third from left looks like Onondaga Chert, which is common here in southern New England, though it's from NY.
The one furthest right in bottom row is likely an eastern Ma felsite, and lighter color flake to it's left is likely rhyolite.

[clambellies]

Thanks of the info.  We do find quite a bit of the NY cherts or flints around here.  I have a couple nice points of the apple green Coxackie (spelling?) flints, and lots of Marblehead felsite.  I have a green Neville to show you in a couple days.....

[Mainejman]

I'm with you on the Munsungan chert Hosts...mjm

[clambellies]

Here's another from my area that is without a doubt, my favorite find.  As to the material, maybe a felsite but I have no clue.  The stone is actually a little greener than it appears in the pics.  The thin sections are translucent.  I've only found this material at two sites along the same river, a mile apart.  The bottom flake in the 4th picture has some fine chipping turning it into a flake knife.  Any thoughts?

[clambellies]

Any thoughts on this lithic?

[CMD]

I'm not able to give you a specific material name, complete to the formation. But, my best guess is that it's some form of translucent quartzite. Here is a triangle made of such a quartzite. Not an exact match, but certainly similar to your flakes. Again, if your material has a formation-specific material name, I don't know what that would be.....



  Regarding the 4th flake from the left, bottom row, first photo. Below is not an exact color match, but I have seen the stuff very often here at sites in RI. I think this is a point made from that material, which is unknown to me by name. Don't be thrown by color difference. And I could be mistaken.....

[clambellies]

Wow, that green triangle point is beautiful!  I have a green Stark that is a sort of similar material to my Neville, but has a lot more veins of white stone in it.  I'll post pics of it here tomorrow.

[clambellies]

Here's some pics of a Stark found at the same site -and- some material that is of a similar green stone that has a lot more veins of a white material through it.  The bigger chips of this material were retouched into scrapers or bi-faces.  For some reason the bases of a lot of Starks that I've found have been snapped off.

[CMD]

Don't know the material. Once the Archaic commenced, regional and local lithics became the norm. What's regional in your neck of the woods may be very different from what was utilized here in RI, a not very far distance at all from where you are. I know among Starks, quartzite and argillite were commonly used here. Never chert/flint. Rarely quartz. My guess is quartzite is the most common lithic for Starks. In MY experience, hunting coastal sites in RI.....
I take it you can be certain from the lithic and the site found that that last one is Stark. Ordinarily, that cannot be identified without any of the hafting area visible. The cross section of the stem at the break could just as readily match the type known as a Neville Variant. To illustrate, from left to right below, Neville, Neville Variant, Stark....

And another I put, hopefully correctly, in with the Neville Variant style..