Blade or Mother Nature(39)s Private Reserve?

[WahinpeWakan]

I think I'll name my next kid, "Leaverite", Strange name for a Norwegian, but Damn!  That name is growing on me and I love a good joke....But not on this post, serious time  :silly:  I believe this is slate or very similar to it, but no observable sedimentary layering.  The sharp edge is beveled on both sides, and unless Jack Frost is yanking my chain,(again), channels running perpendicular to the sharp edge down it on one face...The other side is not channeled, but almost ground smooth and finishes up with a bevel along the whole still somewhat knife sharp edge.  It has very uniform back bone with good width for strength and weight.  The overall shape appears to be like a tomahawk.  In hopes of spitting out a cherry seed, I did get it wet this time for pictures and would love all comments as to if it is something, or if it is a piece of Mother Natures Private Reserve untouched by First People.  Thank You,  Scott

[Bone2stone]

Well dude I have to let you know that again you have posted a stone without any credible evidence of manipulation.
This will be the last time I respond to your posts until you have a worthy specimen we can help you with.
If you find fossils or artifacts I personally will reply.
If it is J.A.R. I will pass.
I am a mentor and it is evident that what we have shown as examples are not enough.
Have a Happy New Year.
Jess B.

[WahinpeWakan]

http://thesga.org/2007/06/notes-from...n-bridge-site/  Thought mine was prettier!  Hmmm...can you please enlighten the manipulation on this one compared to my post?
And Jess, thank you for taking the time to respond.  Your comment shows perhaps an overstay in ignorance on my part, and maybe my studying abilities pale compare to yours.  I do want to let you know this is about the only place I have ever been told twice on how to do something. I do know a little about stone and how it fractures, not alot, but in this case I do know some as I worked my way through college with a team of masons.  I broke a great deal of slate as a tender and was pretty good at getting what was needed.  In all the rocks I broke, I never saw fine grain slate break this way without multiple tries, and even then, only if you really knew what you were doing with many blows.  But, good luck getting that wide of a blade that thin with that material.  But, I was not making tools, just shapes, angles, and sizes...I may not have retained everything, but not that bad of a base to lead me on.  But, I do need to ask you as a mentor.  Normally just a quick, "No, wrong stone would be cool enough, but since you stated you are a mentor and as to artifacts I am below your standards, would you be so kind as to elaborate upon what that lacking evidence of manipulation is in reference to slate? I know there are many kinds of slate, but in general I ask because I believe you have repeated that same comment of no credible evidence of manipulation before, and said it after I stated my thought process for something being man-made, but I get no rebuttal from you.  I am only left hanging with my own speculative and ignorant knowledge that if I wanted to recreate this example so I had another JAR, It would be best to take a crack at it towards the foliation planes that are perpendicular to where the forming pressures was exerted. (That would be hit horizontal to the original top to bottom)  After that I would have a flat sheet of slate with unilateral thickness throughout due to that is how the slate separates or  due to the clay minerals after they metamorphose into mica minerals like your biototes and chlorites and align along foliation planes making consistent unilateral beaks that form tablets to write on, shingles for the rain, and even pretty tiles for the floor. So, due to that flat sheet, as long as the gain is small thereby creating a slaty break, I could perhaps fabricate a sweet tomahawk head like this possible example in relative short order, especially if someone gave me a clue as to why what I see in the pictures is NOT going to happen by human hands, and explain how that unilaterally equally thick slab without my intervention is going to generate that curve seen in the picture and then bevel itself to a sharp edge and add what looks like serrations. Of course I am missing something...Hmm, perhaps if someone instead of typing, "I am a mentor and it is evident that what we have shown as examples are not enough,"  substituted, "What you think is manipulation is actually weathering or Phyllite and not fine grain slate?" Hmm mentoring done!  cool.  Can't thank you enough for all the time...
Anyway, Perhaps it is phyllite or even basalt, it has a better chance of resembling that uneven structure, but the ting to me says slate.....But even if it was, easy mistake for someone who signed up December 24th and thought this thread specifically was for people like me trying to learn. 
And Jess, Posting another very similar stone in material found within feet of the posted one....O think this would be more your phyllite...looks smaller grained, but I don't think so, just rubbed by mother nature a few times with my track record.

[tomclark]

To identify an artifact vs a rock you have to be able to see systematic flaking/work.  Google that.
After reading a million articles it will still take someone to show you what systematic flaking and work looks like on a piece, even unfinished or broken pieces.  It has been my experience that if someone can't see the work, understand the work, they may never get it.  Takes a connection of eye and brain that frankly some people, like my brother in law, can not make.  He also cannot understand righty tighty, lefty loosey....
If pics are good enough, one can see and understand systematic flaking from those pics and can also easily see if a piece has not been worked on.  Your piece does not show any systematic flaking/work.  Some traits like general shape, how it fits the hand, bevels and "flutes" can be completely natural when not systematic.

[OnewiththewilD]

mother nature is capable of doing anything to anything.did ya check out that post on them concretion "disks".incredible,and natural.but once again,yours is only a rock.do you have any actual projectile points?dont get me wrong,when i was first getting into it i brought home lots of ordinary stones too,but by studying lots of local artifacts online from my area,as well as learning what the local materials used where,it quickly taught me what to correctly look for and gave me an idea of what it is im looking at.maybe you should do a little more research on your area and typology.try checking out a local museum or even just use the overstreet guide on this site to give you an idea.heres a piece of black slate/shale from one of my beaches,this stuff dosnt break into sheets like most other kinds of slate either,it busts clean,and sometimes even fractures off like a flake,as in the second pic/example.both where formed by the water beating up on em".


slate is usually a poor material choice unless lots of work goes into the making of the object(check out some of the maine guys posts!wow!)its usually brittle and wont hold an edge for many whacks.though it was used to make some points,tools and jewelry.

[WahinpeWakan]

Jay and Tom, Thank You very much for these posts, it has added a great deal to what I am planning to research for a week or so before asking about anymore unknowns and before going out to a couple of planned places when things here calm down. I agree and think it will be much more informative to google systematic flaking like what Tom said, and go over all the research so many have kindly alluded too, and then see how it was implemented at a museum.  Jay, I really do not have points that are of chert, flint, or agate, only some cores, although I may have what appears to be quartzite cabs worked down, and some square blades that have drawn my own blood a few times, but then I hesitate to say worked down as to my rookie view point, and not having the the eye that you have.  I'll post a pic here of a what could bee for your thoughts and add those thoughts to the hands on stuff I want to do.  Thank You.  And seriously, there have been such awesome helpful people sharing and trying to help, and you guys just showed 2 great examples. I hope I can repay that some day.

[Jeffery Howle]

Scott Don't get discouraged I have been collecting artifacts for over 20 years now and I bring home just rocks a lot of times. and I have found out on sites like these people posts things when they first join that they are wondering if it might be something or not. That is very understandable because if it is a nice point or ax it is easy to see that it is an artifact. even after hunting artifacts as long as I have I have trouble with tools that were used because there are so many that could have been used that mainstream collectors have never seen. I'm from Ky and not fimilar with your area. And yes different areas have lots of different artifacts that are found in them. Most of the time when I find a rock that I think might be something I know deep down in my heart that its just a rock. But I still have hopes so I stick it in my bag. And there are a lot of just rocks that have a story to tell. So if you like it bring it home and figure out later what it might really be. There has been many times I left rocks lay or toss them back down and wish for days that I hadn't. and feel free to ask me for help if you need it. I may not know much but will help if I can.