Materials Identification Guide

Ohio Lithic Material

 











Name Natural Non-heat treated points Heat treated points Color details Primary found in: Associated Formation / Member
Allens Creek Chert
Muldraugh variation
AKA: Floyds Knob Chert
Mottled and ranges in color from gray, tan, brown, and blue.  May be translucent.  Western Ohio Muldraugh Formation of the Sanders Group
Argillite   Light to dark green, but may range to various shades of gray. Ohio  
Banded Slate     Ohio  
Bayport Chert Varies from light brown to a medium gray.  White quartz inclusions can form white clouds or bulls eye forms in the material, Banding may be present. Northwestern Ohio Bayport Limestone formation
Berea Sandstone   Light gray to a buff Ohio Waverly Group
Bisher Chert
AKA: Highland Chert, Lilley Chert
Ranges in color from a white to yellow including mottled tan and creams. Southwestern Ohio Bisher Dolomite formation
Bloomville Chert Ranges from a mottled or banded light gray to a dark gray. Northern Ohio  
Boggs Chert
AKA: Blunt Run Chert
Ranges in color from a dark gray to black with numerous white or light colored speckles from fossils Southeastern Ohio Boggs member, Pottsville Group
Brassfield Chert
AKA: Clifton Chert / Agate, Belfast Chert
Artifacts tend to range in color from light greenish to blue or light tans mottled with yellowish red to milky white Southwestern Ohio Brassfield Formation 
Briar Hill Sandstone   Golden tan Central Ohio  
Broyle Chert Vary in color from yellows to tan or blues.  The cortex is white and chalky.  Rarely may be translucent Southwestern Ohio Middle Devonian  chert
Brush Creek Chert
AKA: Crooksville Chert, Hughes River Chert
Varies in color from a tan to a brown olive or light green Southern  Ohio Conemaugh Group
Cambridge Chert
AKA: Nadine Chert
Gray colored chert East central Ohio Cambridge Member (Nadine Limestone Formation) of the Conemaugh Group
Cedarville - Guelph Chert
AKA: Shawnee Chert
Primarily a mottled white to light gray or light blue  numerous fossils giving a  speckled appearance with vugs or quartz present Northwestern Ohio Cedarville-Guelph formation 
Coffee Creek Chert
Jeffersonville Chert variation
Semi-translucent and variegated ranging from a bright white to a light gray, very pale brown, slightly pinkish white in color with a milky or creamy appearance Extreme southwestern Ohio Jeffersonville Limestone formation
Columbus Chert Ranges in color from a white to a light gray Northwestern Ohio Columbus Limestone Formation
Coshocton Chert
Upper Mercer Chert variation
Ranges from a medium gray to a dark bluish gray with bands of various shades of blue, commonly has bands of white quartz Ohio Pottsville formation
Crystal Quartz   clear colorless stone similar to clear glass Ohio  
Delaware Chert
AKA" Marble Cliff Chert, Scioto Chert
Range from a dull tan to almost a black chocolate brown Northern Ohio Delaware 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 Western to central Ohio Fort Payne Formation
Eversole Chert
Columbus Chert variant
light colored chert, impure in nature Central Ohio Columbus formation
Fairfield County Chert Light grayish blue color Southwestern central Ohio River cobble
Fishpot Chert Primarily light to dark brown and gray in color.  High quality  similar to chalcedony.  Light banding with small bluish gray chalcedony inclusions. East central Ohio Monongahela group, Fishpot limestone member
Flint Ridge Chert /Chalcedony
AKA: Van Port Chert, Raccoon Creek Chert
White to bluish hues with bands of light gray, reds, and yellows Ohio Van Port Member of the Allegheny Formation
Fort Payne Chert   Ranges in color from black to a grayish blue, or white to a bluish white.  Bluish gray is the predominate color with bluish hues Extreme southern Ohio Fort Payne formation
Four Mile Creek Chert
AKA: Salamonie Chert
Ranges from a pink to an off white, light gray, light blue, or light bluish gray color.  Chalcedony inclusion may be present. Southwestern Ohio Salamonie formation, Laurel member
Greenfield Chert Ranges from a light to dark gray with white chalcedony / quartz inclusions.. Extreme southern Ohio Greenfield formation, Saline Group
Hamden Chert Ranges from a light gray to a gray, yellow to brown, or reddish brown.  Black and white specks of chalcedony filled vugs are present. Southeastern Ohio Allegheny formation, Hamden member
Harrison Chert
AKA: Maxville Chert
Ranges in color from a white to an off white or light gray with dursy inclusions East central Ohio Harrison and Maxville member, Pottsville group
Huronia Chert
AKA: Lower Gull River Chert
Bluish gray mottled or banded with brownish-grey or greyish-beige colors, commonly speckled with light/dark grey, or grey-black Extreme northeastern Ohio Fontenac Axis member of the Gull River formation
Jeffersonville Chert
Ranges from white to cream or light yellow to tan and medium brown darker brown bands appearing jagged and interspersed West central to central Ohio Jeffersonville Limestone formation
Kanawha Black Chert Vary from a black to a bluish black /gray to a dark gray Southeastern Ohio Kanawha formation 
Laurel Chert
AKA: Raisch-Smith Chert
Mottled and ranges in color from a off white to a light tan or light gray. Southwestern Ohio Laurel formation
Lead Creek Chert
Type I
AKA: Rockport Chert
Opaque, mottled, varying shades of gray commonly having a marbles appearance with patches or streaks of an orange, tan, or gray Southwestern Ohio Lead Creek Limestone Formation
Lead Creek Chert
Type II
AKA Plummer Chert
Opaque, variegated with shades of medium to dark gray.  Patches or streaks of orange, tan, or gray and white specks of fossils Southwestern Ohio Lead Creek Limestone Formation
Lead Creek Chert
Type III
AKA: Lieber Chert
Mottled and ranges in colors from a pale blue to a dark navy blue or black.  Southwestern Ohio Lead Creek Limestone Formation
Licking River Chert   Ohio  
Logan County Chert
Cedarville-Guelph variation
Ranges in color from a light, dull gray to dull pink. Usually it is speckled with a darker gray Northwestern Ohio Cedarville-Guelph formation
Lower Mercer Chert Bluish gray color with quartz inclusions. Southeastern to east central Ohio Lower Mercer Member of the Pottsville Formation
Maxwell Chert   Ohio Maxwell Formation
Monongahela Chert Ranges from light to medium gray with limonite staining Extreme east central Ohio Uniontown member of the Monongahela Group
Muldraugh Chert Ranges in color from light to medium grays, pale brown to an light olive brown or dusty yellow.  Variegated or mottling or vugs may be present.. West central to southwestern Ohio  Muldraugh Formation of the Sanders Group
Nellie Blue Chert
(Upper Mercer Chert variant)
Gray to medium blue and commonly has white streaks Ohio Upper Mercer Limestone of the Pottsville group
Nethers Chert
Flint Ridge Chert variation
AKA: Ribbon Chert
Banded with colors ranging from light gray to black, pink to red, or tan to brown Ohio Van Port Member of the Allegheny Formation
Obryan Chert
AKA: Southern Vanport Chert
Ranges in color from a mottled gray to white with calcium carbonate vermiculate lines Extreme southern Ohio Allegheny formation of the Obryan Member
Onondaga Chert
AKA: Buttermilk Falls, Black Rock, Clarence, Coniferous, Diver's Lake, Edgecliff, Moore House, Nedrow, Seneca, Fort Erie Chert
Vary from light to dark gray to a mottled bluish gray to a dark brown or black or tan. Northern Ohio Onondaga Limestone Formation
Orthoquartzite   Varies Ohio  
Pipe Creek Chert
AKA: Perkins, Plum Brook, Brook Chert
Ranges from gray to bluish gray or a pale brown, may be mottled or homogenous, light blue cloudy and quartz lined vugs may be present Extreme northwestern Ohio Tenmile Creek Formation
Plum Rum Chert Ranges in color from a light tan to grays, pinks and yellows.  It is a mottled chert. East central Ohio Van Port formation
Putnam Hill Chert Medium gray color East central to southeastern Ohio Putnam Hill member of the Allegheny formation
Quartz   Milky white with thin veins
Ohio  
Quartzite   Varies from white to gray, or pink and tan in color Ohio  
Rhyolite   Gray to grayish black, flow banding may be present alternating from light to darker gray Ohio  
Prout Chert Ranges in color from a cream to a tan, light gray to a dark gray or blue. Northeastern Ohio Prout Dolomite Formation
Sky Hill Chert
AKA: Mahoning Chert
Ranges in color from a light brown or tan to black.  The most common color is gray Extreme east central Ohio Upper Mercer formation of the Pottsville group 
Sonora Flint
AKA for Wyandotte Chert
  Vibrant colorful flint that may range from tans to light gray-blue and dark brown to purples Southwestern Ohio Ste. Genevieve Limestone formation
Ten Mile Creek Chert Ranges in color from a dark brownish gray to an olive gray or bluish gray. Extreme east central Ohio Greene Formation
Transverse Chert Dark gray Northwestern Ohio Transverse Limestone formation
Upper Mercer Chert   Ranges in color from a medium gray to black Ohio Upper Mercer Limestone of the Pottsville group
Zaleski Chert
Upper Mercer Chert variation
AKA: Black Flint
Glossy black and commonly has white streaks Ohio Zaleski member of the Allegheny Formation