Finally found a quartzite point.

[Broken Arrow]

I find a ton of quartzite on three of the sites I hunt but most of it is in squarish chunks. The white quartzite I found seems to have been utilized for tools but I find alot of darker grayish colored quartzite and that is what is usually in chunks. I believe the darker stuff is robidoux orthoquartzite and I've always wanted to find a point made out of it and today I did. It is missing a bit off one of the shoulders but I like alot. Undecided on the type. Thinking an adena variant or possibly a table rock. Here it is.

[Broken Arrow]

Insitus.

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Andrew, Nice find, That is some tough material. Beautiful too.

[SurfaceHunter]

It doesnt look heat treated and if not it would of been tough to knapp. Its a keeper

[Broken Arrow]

Not heat treated at all. I highly doubt heat would have helped the knapability of this material. I have found chunks of the same material that I do think was heated. I believe it was used in cooking middens, judging by the amount I find and that it is usually in squarish or odd shaped chunks that look like they were heated.

[Tam]

Yeah your getting some

[Kentucky point]

Nice! From what reviews Ron has given us, that is some tough stone to knap, therefore special and a keeper!

[Kentucky point]

He has left less than rave reviews...

I didn't know you knap.

[Broken Arrow]

It is less than ideal. I knap a little bit. I don't really have any large decent pieces of material to work with so I usually just make small points that would do good on an arrow or dart.

[Broken Arrow]

Maybe I'll post some pics in the knapping forum. Camera on my phone takes crappy pics so I usually only use it, out of necessity, for ancient finds.

[Tam]

Thats a nice find ! BA that stuff is like steel . The hammerstones in our area are all made out of that . It seems absolutely impossible that a point could be made out of it . I’ll send Ron some .
I did find a rose colored tip and freaked out but lost it . Yep lost it hording chips .
I bet those were great as a weapon like jasper would be .

[Broken Arrow]

Thanks, Tam! Yeah, it is tough. This is some of the better quality of its kind, most of the other quartzite of this variety is a bit more large grained. Can't wait to see what Ron can do with it.

[redrocks]

Nice. Congrats on this sugary one too brother

[Broken Arrow]

Thanks, Red. Its like rock candy.

[gregszybala]

Always enjoy finding the odd point whether type or material, rare.
Same situation here with quartzite, congrats

[Broken Arrow]

Thanks for looking, Greg. Rare indeed. How were they utilizing the quartzite up your way?

[Tam]

Me to and odd tools

[gregszybala]

Hixton Orthoquartzite also known as Hixton silcified sandstone, originates out of Wisconsin. I have found one and a half points out of it, pretty material. Here just little chunks not big enough to work.

[SDhunter]

I’m glad you finally found one there, and it’s pretty nice too!

[Broken Arrow]

Thanls, Gary. I'm glad I finally found one too! I was starting to think I'd never find a quartzite point around here. I love they way It sparkles and shines.

[O.C. Hermit]

BA the little point in the middle is one ive found of similar material ....dunno...bit different tint

[O.C. Hermit]

Yours is definitely prettier

[Broken Arrow]

I remember your post for that one. Its a good one, I like it, I really like the form! Not sure about that material looks a little more coarse. There are a couple different geo formations in your area that have crystalline cherty dolomite. Do you find alot of that yellowish quartzite around there?

[O.C. Hermit]

Not so much..found a couple white scrapers with alot sparkle..grey chert veins through it...found a real pretty red chunk today looks like maybe a core with heavy veins of it

[Broken Arrow]

Hmm, wondering if it was maybe from a cobble?..

[Broken Arrow]

Sometimes it can be very hard to identify lithics away from the source. I think quartzite can be especially hard to pin down since there are so many sources of it, especially here in Missouri. In your county there are 6 or 7 formations that have quartzy cherty dolomite and then mix in all the possible cobble sources...it could have came from anywhere. I don't know how often you go exploring but if you can find a county geologic map and find some local outcrops, you could get a really good idea of what the rock from the different formations look like and know if and what kind of local material was being used on the sites you hunt.