Materials Identification Guide

Arkansas Lithic Material

 











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Name                    

Natural                                                  
Non-heat treated points                                Heat treated points                               Color details                    Primary found in:     Associated             Formation / Member
Ada Petrified Wood   Colors of tan, brown, white, and black West central Arkansas Antlers Sandston formation 
Andesite
Generic Type
    North America Varies
Argillite
(Generic type)
  Light to dark green, but may range to various shades of gray North America  
Arkansas Nocaculite   Ranges from white to light to dark grays and black, pinks to red, and tan to browns.  Southwestern Arkansas Arkansas Novaculite Formation
Atoka Argillite   Ranges in color from a dark gray to black Northwestern Arkansas Atoka formation
Atoka Siltstone   Ranges from a medium to dark gray Northwestern Arkansas Atoka formation
Barren Fork Chert
Barren Fork Chert ranges from a light to medium gray or a tan.
Northwestern Arkansas Sallisaw Formation
Battiest Chert
AKA: Smithville Chert
Ranges from a dark bluish gray to black with small white veins of quartz commonly present. Southwestern Arkansas Battiest Chert Member of the Tenmile Creek Formation, Stanley Group
Bayou Manard Chert
AKA: Red Bird Chert
Black chert with white fossil specks Southwestern Arkansas Bayou Menard Member of the Moorefield Formation
Big Fork Chert
AKA: Bigfork Chert
Ranges from black to a dark gray West central Arkansas Bigfork Formation
Blaylock Sandstone   Ranges in color from tan to dark gray or greenish. West central Arkansas Silurian Formation
Boone Chert
AKA: Sallisaw Chert, Grand Falls Chert, Ti Valley Chert
Ranges from a light gray to white Northwestern Arkansas Boone Limestone Formation
Burlington Chert Varies from white to gray or tan.  Banding and mottling may be present Northeastern Arkansas Burlington Limestone Formation
Carnelian
(Generic Type)
  Translucent and varies in shades from reddish brown to reddish orange. North America Varies
Chickasaw Creek Chert Black with white speckles Southwestern Arkansas Chickasaw Creek Member of the Jackfork Formation
Cockfield Orthoquartzite   Shades of light gray with spotting of light brown commonly present commonly giving a mottling appearance. Southeastern Arkansas Cockfield Formation, Clairborne Group
Collier Chert
Black with small white veins of quartz occasionally present Southwestern Arkansas Collier Shale Formation
Cotter Chert
AKA: Swan Creek Chert
Ranges in color from a light gray or blue with light tan to white banding.  Northwestern Arkansas Cotter Formation
Crowley's Ridge Chert Ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream. Eastern Arkansas Glacial Till
Crushman Chert Mottled dark gray Northwestern Arkansas Boone Limestone formation
Crystal Mountain Quartz   Ranges from a white to a light pink or light gray. Southwestern Arkansas Crystal Mountain Sandstone Formation
Dover Chert
Fort Payne variant
AKA: Elco Chert
  Range from a light tan to almost a black chocolate brown with swirls, bands, or streaks of light to dark Northeastern Arkansas Fort Payne Formation
Everton Interclastic Chert
AKA: Everton Chert
Primarily a white to light brown, brown or tan.  May vary from a pink-red, purple, and grey.  Commonly brecciated. Central to northwestern Arkansas Everton Formation
Everton Quartzite Ranges from a light to dark white to gray with weak banding of white and gray. Northern Arkansas Everton Formation
Fordyce Petrified Wood Shades of white, tan, and brown with wood grain or rings commonly present. South central Arkansas  
Fort Scott Chert
AKA: Bixby Black Chert
Ranges from a dark bluish black to black. Northwestern Arkansas Fort Scott Limestone Formation of the Henrietta (Marmaton) Group
Fortune Chert Ranging from a light cream to olive brown or tan color with mottling of a citrine drab to grayish olive gray and white speckles Northwestern Arkansas Fortune Formation
Frisco Chert Ranges from white to a light gray or light yellowish gray or pale greenish yellow. West central Arkansas Frisco Limestone Formation 
Grand Falls Chert
Boone Chert variation
Light gray color and may vary to brown Northwestern Arkansas Grand Falls Member of the Boone Formation
Hindsville Chert Ranges from a gray bluish gray with mottling of light blue to blue, gray, and light browns. Northwestern Arkansas Hindsville Limestone Member of the Batesville Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 1: Oolitic
Ranges from an off white to a pale blue with white oolitic speckles Northern Arkansas Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 2: Banded
Ranging from a off white to a pale purple with narrow banding alternating banding of  brown, blue, and purple Northern Arkansas Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 3: Mottled
Ranging from a off white to a pale purple with streaking, swirling, or disturbed banding of  brown, blue, and purple Northern Arkansas Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 4: Dense
White with a pearly luster Northern Arkansas Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Quartzite Light and dark colors of white, pink, red, brown, and gray, homogenous to weak banding or weak mottling, occasional vugs and voids are present. Northern Arkansas Jefferson City Formation
Keokuk Chert Ranges from a creamy white to a whitish pink with streaks or patches of whitish brown or whitish pink and reddish spots commonly present.  Northwestern Arkansas
Keokuk Formation of the St. Joes Group
Kimmswick Chert Opaque and gray in color.  Sparse black speckles are formed by pyritiferous particles. Northern Arkansas Kimmswick Formation
Lafayette Chert Most commonly ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream, less common white and black occur. Mottling or rarely banded Eastern Arkansas Lafayette Gravel Formation
Lafayette Quartzite     Eastern Arkansas Lafayette Gravel Formation
Lindsey Bridge Chert Ranges in color from white to tan or blue. Northwestern Arkansas Lindsey Bridge  Limestone Member of the Moorefield Formation
Mazarn Chert Glossy black Southwestern Arkansas Mazarn Shale Formation
Mill Creek Chert Vary from white to gray, grayish brown, orange white to orange gray, or pale blue to black.  Concentric banding may be present Northeastern Arkansas Salem / Ullim Limestone formation
Novaculite
(Generic Type)
  Range from white to light gray or black Southwestern Arkansas Varies
Osage Chert
Osage Undifferentiated Chert
Ranges from a white to light gray or light brown.  Occasionally gray to dark gray mottling is present. Northern Arkansas Osage Series
Penters Chert
AKA: Pinters Chert
  Ranges from a highly variegated ranging from medium to dark gray, bluish gray, grayish brown, or mottled ranging white to pale gray or pale brown. Central to northwestern Arkansas Penters Formation
Penters Chert Breccia Primary color of white, gray, or brown with a variable color of white, gray, red, or brown Northeastern Arkansas Penters Formation
Petrified Wood
AKA: Agatized Wood, Opalized Wood
  Vary in color based on the minerals present during the process North America Varies
Peoria Chert
AKA: Tahlequah  Chert
Primarily white but ranges to a pale yellowish what to a yellowish brown or pink Northwestern Arkansas Tahlequah Member of the Moorefield Formation
Pierson Chert Ranges in color from a mottled gray, cream, and brown to light blue or brick red Northwestern Arkansas Pierson Formation of the Osagean Series
Pinetop Chert
AKA: Brushy Creek Chert
Ranges in color from a white to a beige or light to dark gray. Southwestern Arkansas Pinetop Formation
Pitkin Chert Ranges from a dark bluish gray to black with light blue occurring. White speckles  commonly present Northern Arkansas Pitkin Limestone Formation
Plattin Chert Ranges from a dark bluish gray to black with light blue occurring. White speckles  commonly present Northeastern Arkansas Plattin Formation
Polk Creek Chert Black Southwestern Arkansas Polk Creek Shale Formation
Red River Jasper
AKA: Kiamichi Chert
  ranges from an orangish red to a greenish gray with iron pyrite inclusions commonly present. Southwestern Arkansas Possible Woodford Formation
Reed's Spring Chert
AKA: Carr Branch Chert
Opaque chert ranging in color from a bluish gray to a light gray or yellowish brown. Northwestern Arkansas Reed Springs Formation
Rhyolite
(Generic Type)
  Gray to grayish black, flow banding may be present alternating from light to darker gray North America Volcanic Activity
St. Louis Green Chert
AKA: St. Louis Formation Chert
Varying shades from light gray green to yellow green Northeastern Arkansas St. Louis Formation
Ste. Genevieve Chert
AKA: Old Blue Chert
Ranges from light to medium blue, gray, and black, to olive gray and yellowish gray with gray concentric bands commonly present  Northeastern Arkansas Ste. Genevieve Limestone Formation
Tuff
AKA: Solidified Volcanic Ash
  Contains greater than 75 volcanic ash and ranges from white to tan, gray or pink. North America Volcanic activity
Wapanucka Chert Mottled and striated gray chert. West central Arkansas Wapanucka  Formation
Webber's Falls Siltstone
AKA: Arkansas Argillite
  Ranges from a greenish gray to dark gray or black. Northwestern Arkansas Webber's Falls Member of the Atoka Formation