An experienced Cayuga County/Finger Lakes NY collector's memoirs refers to "impure calcareous chert leached out to a very light, porous condition" found in one of his artifacts. The attached photo shows a celt in another local collection that I was privileged to hold: this celt is so smooth....and so remarkably light in weight .....Wow! I was shocked!
It is so light, it feels like it is made of balsa wood! Could the imperfections observable in photos be calcium carbonate nodules.... which over thousands of years in an acidic environment - like our local swamp land - have substantially leached away/ dissolved? This local collection actually has two artifacts with this type of lithic. Very cool.
It is so light, it feels like it is made of balsa wood! Could the imperfections observable in photos be calcium carbonate nodules.... which over thousands of years in an acidic environment - like our local swamp land - have substantially leached away/ dissolved? This local collection actually has two artifacts with this type of lithic. Very cool.
Comment