Sharpening tool or railway junk?

[Gentleone444]

Found at the headwaters of a local creek that is close to a railway....def looks worked just not sure if its indian or railroad...any ideas?

[2ndoldman]

The others may think differently but I don't see any indication of it being worked.

[Gentleone444]

2ndoldman so that straight line cut in it could be naturally formed?

[2ndoldman]

It may be an illusion but in your first pic the slot seems to taper from end to end and in the second pic it seems to have a flat bottom to the slot.
There is no tool that I know of that can produce a flat bottomed slot that tapers.

[Gentleone444]

Ill check that out and get back to you

[Scorpion68]

I have to agree with Bruce. It looks like a lot of the same type material that we find in the rocks around here, kinda like a milky quartz. It cracks rather easily when tractors and other equipment run over it. It doesn't appear to have been altered by man. ..Chuck

[Hoss]

That looks natural to me too. Maybe there was a small sheet of mica in that slot at one time. Cool rock I probably would have brought it home too.

[Gentleone444]

Ahhh ok...well heres a pic the shows how squared off the slot is from the end...let me know if this helps sway anyone one way or the other. Thanks so much for all your input.

[Scorpion68]

I still have a lot to learn at AH but I can see nothing on that rock that indicates man intervened to shape. I can't think of anything that early man would have had that would enable him to make that slot in that rock. I believe Hoss may have had the more likely explanation. Gentleone - one thing that I have learned again and again, sometimes a rock is just a rock. Glad to see your posting on the AH forum and if you stick around and continue to post your finds, you'll learn a lot. ..Chuck

[Kyflintguy]

That looks natural to me too. Maybe there was a small sheet of mica in that slot at one time. Cool rock I probably would have brought it home too.

I agree with that scenario. I always use to check out the rocks on the train tracks and they were often full of Mica which is a brittle sheet like inclusion in the stone. You could flake them off with your fingernail and hold them up and see the light through them.

[Gentleone444]

Thanks alot fellas...really interesting that something that appears manmade can form naturally...thanks so much for the info.