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  • What is this?

    A co-worker that knows I have an interest in arrowheads and stuff brought this to me this morning. It looks more like sandstone than flint. Such a unique shape! Is it something that naturally occurs in nature and he was just lucky enough to find it OR what??

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  • #2
    Looks like a stalactite, is the tapered end quartz?

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    • #3
      It has a definite quartz layer in it. The tip could be cloudy quartz. It is small. Only 1" in length.

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      • #4
        Sam found this near Alapaha, GA in south Georgia. No caves. But what do I know? Maybe it doesn't have to be in a cave??

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        • #5
          It looks like Dog Tooth Spar calcite crystal
          Professor Shellman
          Tampa Bay

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          • #6
            Ditto x 2
            Jess B.
            It is a "Rock" when it's on the ground.
            It is a "Specimen" when picked up and taken home.

            ​Jessy B.
            Circa:1982

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            • #7
              I"ve shown this item to several different people and no one seems to agree on what it could be. I've been told: bannerstone, a toy, and an atlatl as well as what has been suggested here.
              There are no caves in south Georgia. Well, at least I don't think there are. South Georgia is low land and sandy. There was heavy Indian occupancy many, many years ago.
              Maybe someone traded for it?
              It does have a "crystal" shape so I am leaning more toward believing that suggestion although I still am not certain. It seems to be sandstone with a couple quartz layers and a clay colored layer.
              Please share the photos with anyone that might have any other ideas.
              Thank you!!

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              • #8
                Dark room.  Blacklight.  See if it glows greenish/yellow.  !!  
                See if your fingernail, then a penny... will scratch it.  Calcite hardness ranges 2.5- 3.5   
                A penny @ 3.5, a fingernail @ 2.5   If a penny will not scratch it then I would suppose it's a harder mineral and would need to be tested with glass, maybe steel or emery cloth..
                Good luck!
                Professor Shellman
                Tampa Bay

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                • #9
                  Bannerstone and atlatl are definitely out, as is toy. It does not look like an artifact but, an unmodified rock.
                  Like a drifter I was born to walk alone

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                  • #10
                    I agree with the naysayers!  :laugh:
                    It does indeed have all the features of a dog-tooth speleothem. Like this:

                    Speleothems are oft-regarded as cave formations because that where they are most frequently found. But they'll form anywhere where there is calcium-rich groundwater and a cavity for it to drip into. Doesn't have to be a cave. A void in limestone, a sink-hole... anything will do.
                    Also, that specimen is broken away from something larger, rather eroded and has a dirty mineral encrustation. It's likely been transported by water and could be a long way from where it was formed. Remember also that whatever the abundance (or scarcity) of caves in your area now... that mineral could be a million years old. What matters is whether there were caves ta the time it formed. Not whether there are caves now.
                    [PS: Welcome to the forum Dianne  ]
                    I keep six honest serving-men (they taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.

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