Materials Identification Guide

Kansas Lithic Material

 











Name Natural Non-heat treated points Heat treated points Color details Primary found in: Associated                Formation / Member
Aarde Shale   Dull yellowish gray Eastern Kansas Aarden Shale Member of the Howard Limestone Formation
Alibates Chert   Mottled color from most commonly reds, yellows, and oranges in iron rich areas to blues and dark greens Southwestern Kansas Quartermaster Formation
Arbuckle Chert Oolitic and ranges from a tan to a light gray color. Southeastern Kansas Arbuckle Formation, Osage Group
Argentine Chert Ranges in color from a light tan to a pale to medium gray.  Light mottling or streaking may be present.  Northeastern Kansas Argentine Member of the Wyandotte Limestone Formation
Baldy Hill Jasper
AKA: Cimarron River Jasper
  Mottled color from most commonly varying shades of reds and yellows. Southwestern Kansas Baldy Hill Formation
Blue River Agate     Northeastern Kansas Eskridge Formation
Blue Springs Chert   Northeastern Kansas  
Blue Valley Agate   White to light blue or pinkish matrix with pink bands or patches Northeastern Kansas Wreford Formation
Boone Chert
AKA: Sallisaw Chert, Grand Falls Chert, Ti Valley Chert
Ranges from a light gray to white Southeastern Kansas Boone Limestone Formation
Cherokee Chert   Kansas  
Cheyenne Quartzite     Southern Kansas Cheyenne Sandstone Formation
Cottonwood Chert
AKA: Manhattan Chert
Grayish brown with patches of shades of white. Northeastern Kansas Cottonwood Limestone Formation
Dakota Quartzite
AKA: Dakota Orthoquartzite
  Ranges in color from reds to browns Western Kansas Dakota Formation
Day Creek Chert Ranges from a mottled very light pale blue to a grayish blue or a reddish blue.  Tan and brown mottling or streaking may be present Southwestern Kansas Day Creek Dolomite Member of the Cloud Chief Formation
Ervine Creek Chert Ranges from a light medium gray to a dark gray.  Larger white specks are formed by fossils Northeastern Kansas Ervine Creek Limestone Member, Deer Creek Limestone Formation
Flint Hill Chert
AKA fro Florence Chert type D
Wide range of colors including shades of blue and gray, whites, and browns. Central Kansas Florence Limestone Member of the Barnestone Formation
Flint Hills Quartzite     Central Kansas  
Florence Chert - Type A
AKA: Kay County Chert, Maple City Chert
Banded or "wood grained" and ranges in color from a buff to a yellow gray.  Heat treatment produces a red color. Southern Kansas Florence Limestone Member, Barnestone Formation, Permian Group
Florence Chert - Type B Ranges in color from a steel gray to a bluish gray with lighter colored splotches or darker colored mottling. Southern Kansas Florence Limestone Member, Barnestone Formation, Permian Group
Florence Chert - Type C Homogenous gray Southern Kansas Florence Limestone Member, Barnestone Formation, Permian Group
Florence Chert - Type D
AKA: Flint Hills Chert
Ranges from gray to a buff with many thin bands of darker translucent material.  Southern Kansas Florence Limestone Member, Barnestone Formation, Permian
Foraker Chert
AKA: Four Ace Chert
Light blue color with numerous snow white speckles of fossils. Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas Foraker Limestone Formation
Fort Scott Chert
AKA: Bixby Black Chert
Ranges from a dark bluish black to black. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri Fort Scott Limestone Formation, Henrietta (Marmaton) Group
Gilmore City Chert   Opaque brownish gray Northeastern Kansas Gilmore City Formation
Grand Falls Chert
Boone Chert variation
Light gray color and may vary to brown Southeastern Kansas Grand Falls Member of the Boone Formation
Hunton Chert   North central Kansas Hunton Limestone Formation
Kansas Pipestone   Homogenous medium red color Kansas  
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.  Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma
Keokuk Formation of the St. Joes Group
Luta Chert
AKA: Marion Chert, Winfield Chert
Banded chert East central Kansas Luta Limestone Member of the Winfield Formation
Nehawka Chert
Rice Grain Chert, Protozoa Agate, Weeping Water Chert
  Ranges from grayish blue to blue with oolitic white specks Northeastern Kansas Pennsylvanian Limestone Formation
Neva Chert White Central Kansas Neva Limestone Member of the Grenola Formation
Ogallala Orthoquartzite
AKA: Bijou Hills Silicified Sediment and Sugar Rock
Colors can vary, but most common colors are light to dark gray, tan, white, pink, maroon, or golden Western Kansas Ogallala Formation
Ogallala Palm Wood
AKA: Petrified Palmwood
  Ranges from white to a dark gray with specks. Western Kansas Ogallala Formation
Ogallala Silicified Sediment
AKA: Ogallala Chert
Ranges from a buff to a reddish color or gray.  Quartz inclusions form speckles in the material. Western Kansas Ogallala Formation
Osage Chert
Osage Undifferentiated Chert
Ranges from a white to light gray or light brown.  Occasionally gray to dark gray mottling is present. Eastern Kansas Osage Series
Peoria Chert
AKA: Tahlequah  Chert
Primarily white but ranges to a pale yellowish what to a yellowish brown or pink Southeastern Kansas Tahlequah Member of the Moorefield Formation
Petrified Wood
AKA: Agatized Wood, Opalized Wood
  Vary in color based on the minerals present during the process Kansas Varies
Plattsburg Chert Light brown color. Northeastern Kansas Plattsburg Limestone 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. Southeastern Kansas Reed's Springs formation
Republican River Jasper
AKA for Smoky Hills Jasper
  Vary in color from a mustard brown or caramel brown to a chalky or creamy white, less commonly red, green, or black does occur, Inclusions and dendrites may be present North central Kansas Smoky Hills Member of the Niobrara Chalk Formation
Rhyolite   Gray to grayish black, flow banding may be present alternating from light to darker gray Kansas Volcanic Activity
Schroyer Chert
AKA: Wreford Type B
Ranges from bluish gray to a gray and may be mottled or splotched with darker gray with speckles of small white fossils Central Kansas Schroyer Member, Wrenford Limestone Formation
Smoky Hills Jasper
AKA: Alma, Graham,  Niobrara, Republican River Jasper
  Vary in color from a mustard brown or caramel brown to a chalky or creamy white, less commonly red, green, or black does occur, Inclusions and dendrites may be present North central Kansas  
South Bend Chert Ranges from a light gray to a light bluish gray, concretions are commonly present. Northeastern Kansas  South Bend Limestone Member of the Stanton Limestone Formation
Spring Hill Chert Strongly mottled and ranges from light to dark gray with dark speckles being present. Northeastern Kansas  Spring Hill Member, Plattsburg Limestone Formation
Stoner Chert
Type A and B
Ranges from light to medium gray or a grayish tan with white veins.  Northeastern Kansas Stoner Member of the Stanton Formation, Lansing Group
Three Mile Chert
Wreford Chert Variant
AKA: Wreford Chert type A
Yellowish brown  Southeastern Kansas Threemile Limestone Member, Wreford Limestone Formation, Permian Group
Toronto Chert Homogenous ranging from a white to a pale brown or yellowish brown. Northeastern Kansas Toronto Limestone Member, Oread Formation of the Shawnee Group
Tuff
AKA: Solidified Volcanic Ash
  Contains greater than 75 volcanic ash and ranges from white to tan, gray or pink. Kansas Volcanic activity
Westerville Chert Ranges from homogeneous to mottled pale brown to a light yellowish brown or brownish yellow with thin bands may be present. Northeastern Kansas Westerville Limestone Member of the Cherryvale Shale Formation
Winterset Chert
AKA: Fusulinid Chert, Zebra Chert
Primarily homogenous, ranging to mottled or layered, ranging from a light to dark gray or brownish gray, opaque may have a "zebra" appearance Northeastern Kansas Winterset Limestone Member of the Dennis Limestone Formation, Kansas City Group
Wreford Chert Ranges from a buff to tan or grayish tan to a bluish gray to gray.  Mottling or banding may be present. Central Kansas Wreford Limestone Formation