Color: Arkansas Novaculite ranges from white to light to dark grays and black, pinks to red, and tan to browns.  Normally, colors are light white, gray, pink, and yellow.  less commonly the color will be dark grays, black, reds, and yellows.

Texture:  Very fine grain

Luster: Dull / matte to waxy or vitreous

Translucency:  Translucent

Silica Fabrics / Fossils:  Novaculite is a microcrystalline to cryptocrystalline material consisting of silica.  Typically no fossils are present, but conodonts, sponge spicules, and radiolaria have been reported.

Patina:

Heat Treatment:  Heat treatment may have no visual changes, however, red hues may occur (at specific temperatures).  Luster increases and there is an increase the flaking quality. 

Knapping: 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution Comments:

Arkansas Novaculite is associated with the Devonian-Mississippian aged Arkansas Novaculite Formation which is found along the Benton-Broken Bow Formation of the Ouachita Mountains.  It has primary outcroppings in McCurtian County Oklahoma (Potato Hills and Black Knob Ridge most notably) and Montgomery County, Arkansas.  May be found throughout the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma.