Publication details
Classification of siliceous rocks in Central Europe
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Raw material for chipped tools has to be hard on the one hand, on the other hand suitable to form homogeneous flakes or blades with sharp edges. Silica rich rocks or minerals fill usually the both requirements. Collections of prehistoric chipped artefacts can have sometimes hundreds or even thousands items. Evaluating such a collection, it is necessary first of all to make a basic division of used raw materials into five basic groups: 1. Silicites (non-detrital sedimentary siliceous rocks) – chert and its variety, flint, limnosilicite, chemosilicite (hydrosilicite); 2. Silica rich minerals – quartz and its varieties, opal, chalcedony, jasper, plasma; 3. Natural glasses – volcanic glasses especially obsidian and pitchstone, tektites; 4. Clastic (detrital) sedimentary rocks rich in quartz or chert – orthoquartzite, chert breccia, quartz sandstone; 5. Special rocks – porcellanites, silica rich fine-grained or amorphous volcanic rocks, silicified wood, silicified corals, silicified limestone. |