Materials Identification Guide

Kentucky 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.  North central central Kentucky Muldraugh Formation of the Sanders Group
Argillite   Light to dark green, but may range to various shades of gray. Kentucky  
Bailey Chert   Western Kentucky Bailey Formation Limestone
Banded Slate     Kentucky  
Berea Sandstone   Light gray to a buff Extreme northeastern Kentucky Waverly Group
Bisher Chert
AKA: Highland Chert, Lilley Chert
Ranges in color from a white to yellow including mottled tan and creams. North central Kentucky Bisher Dolomite formation
Bowling Green Chert   Southeastern Missouri Bowling Green Member of the Edgewood Limestone Formation
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 Central Kentucky Brassfield Formation 
Breathitt Chert Range from a dark chocolate brown to a black or from shades of brownish green to tan with tan or yellow inclusions are often present. Northeastern Kentucky Breathitt Formation 
Broyle Chert Vary in color from yellows to tan or blues.  The cortex is white and chalky.  Rarely may be translucent North central Kentucky 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 Northeastern Kentucky Conemaugh Group
Burlington Chert Varies from white to gray or tan.  Banding and mottling may be present. Western Kentucky Burlington Formation
Cain Springs Chert   North central Kentucky  
Cambridge Chert Gray colored chert North eastern Kentucky Cambridge Member of the Conemaugh Formation
Camden Chert Mottled white to gray, gray to gray blue, pale yellow to olive-yellow or tan.  Vugs, quarts inclusions, streaking generally present Western Kentucky Tuscaloosa Formation
Cannel Coal   Ranges from dark gray to black Eastern Kentucky  
Carter Cave Chert
AKA for Paoli Chert
  Translucent and ranges in color from yellow to tan, red, and orange.  Rarely green and blue are present Northwestern Kentucky Paoli Limestone formation
Clear Creek Chert Ranges from a slight yellowing gray to white Western Kentucky Overlies the Backbone Limestone formation
Cobden- Dongola Chert
AKA: Anna Chert, Hornstone, and St. Louis Ball Chert
  Shades of dark gray to blue-gray which may be solid or have dark gray bands Western Kentucky St. Louis Limestone
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 north central Kentucky Jeffersonville Limestone formation
Copper Ridge Chert
(Ridge and Valley Chert)
Ranges in color from medium to dark gray to black Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania Copper Ridge Member of the Knox formation
Crab Orchard Banded Chert
AKA: Gray Banded, Jelly Roll, Kentucky Stromatoporoid chert
Banded gray and white.  It has broad alternating bands of light to dark whites and grays followed by darker grays to almost black Central to western Kentucky Crab Orchard member
Crystal Quartz   clear colorless stone similar to clear glass Kentucky  
Degonia Chert   Ranges from white to gray and blue Northwestern Kentucky Degonia formation
Derby Chert Vary in color from a light medium gray to a medium dark gray.  White or dark gray banding may be present
Northwestern Kentucky  
Ditney Chert   Northwestern Kentucky Shelburn formation topping the West Limestone member
Dongola Chert Dark tan to dark brown with banding of dark brown Western Kentucky St. Louis 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 Kentucky Fort Payne Formation
Ferdinand Chert Dark bluish gray fossiliferous chert
Northwestern Kentucky Mansdfield formation, Lead Creek member
Flanagan Chert Gray color Central Kentucky Flanagan Limestone Formation
Flint Ridge Chert /Chalcedony
AKA: Van Port Chert, Raccoon Creek Chert
White to bluish hues with bands of light gray, reds, and yellows Central to eastern Kentucky 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 Kentucky Fort Payne formation
Grassy Knob Chert Ranges in color from a pale yellowish gray to a light
olive brown
Western Kentucky Bailey Limestone formation
Greenfield Chert Ranges from a light to dark gray with white chalcedony / quartz inclusions.. Northwestern Kentucky Greenfield formation, Saline Group
Haney Chert Color is white or light gray with specks of brown Northwestern Kentucky Haney Limestone formation
Hardy Creek Chert Ranges from a brown to a gray or an olive black Southeastern Kentucky Hardy Creek Limestone Formation
Harrodsburg Chert Ranges from commonly dark olive-brown to tan, although various shades of browns, tans, blues, and off-white, oolites form white speckles North central Kentucky Harrodsburg Limestone formation
Hillsdale Chert   Black weathering gray Eastern Kentucky Hillsdale Limestone Formation
Holland Chert
AKA: Upper Huntingburg Chert
High quality light gay to dark bluish gray chert North central Kentucky Holland Limestone formation
Hopkinsville Chert
Ste. Genevieve Variation
Ranges in color from a light to dark gray color. Southwestern Kentucky Ste. Genevieve formation
Kanawha Black Chert Vary from a black to a bluish black /gray to a dark gray Northwestern Kentucky Kanawha formation 
Kaolin Chert Ranges from hues of golden tans to gray and reds.  Light banding may be present. Western Kentucky Paleozoic Limestone formation
Kornthal Chert
Kornthal Chert Breccia
  Brecciated to conglomeritic ranging from a pinkish gray, to red most common, blue, yellow, brown, and inclusions of white chert or quartz Western Kentucky McNairy Formation
Lafayette Gravel Chert Most commonly ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream, less common white and black occur. Mottling or rarely banded Western Kentucky Lafayette Gravel Formation
Lafayette Quartzite     Western Kentucky Lafayette Gravel Formation
Laurel Chert
AKA: Raisch-Smith Chert
Mottled and ranges in color from a off white to a light tan or light gray. North Central Kentucky 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 North central to northwestern Kentucky 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 North central to northwestern Kentucky 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.  North central to northwestern Kentucky Lead Creek Limestone Formation
Lenoir Chert Dark Gray Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama Lenoir Limestone Formation
Louisville Chert Varies in color from a very light gray to a medium light gray.  It is mottled and opaque and may have brownish specks North central Kentucky Louisville Limestone formation
Lower Mercer Chert Bluish gray color with quartz inclusions. Northeastern Kentucky Lower Mercer Member of the Pottsville Formation
Macot Dolomite / Chert Ranges from white to a light to medium gray with with mottling or streaking ranging from pink to red or green Southeastern Kentucky Mascot Dolomite Formation of the Newala Group
McNairy Quartzite   Tightly packed pale yellowish quartzite with limited or no inclusions.  Red staining may be present. Northwestern Kentucky McNairy 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 Western Kentucky Salem / Ullim Limestone formation
Monteagle Chert Medium gray South central Kentucky Monteagle Limestone formation
Mounds Gravel Chert
Lafayette Chert variation
Most commonly ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream.  Less commonly white, black, pink, red, olive gray or greenish gray Northwestern Kentucky Lafayette Gravel Formation 
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.. North central to central Kentucky Muldraugh Formation of the Sanders 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 Northern to central Kentucky Van Port Member of the Allegheny Formation
New Castle Chert Ranges from a more common duller variegated light gray to a pale brown or a less common homogeneous bluish gray North central Kentucky Silver Creek limestone formation
Newman Chert Ranges in color from  yellow to tan, red, and orange Southeastern Kentucky Newman Limestone formation
Obryan Chert
AKA: Southern Vanport Chert
Ranges in color from a mottled gray to white with calcium carbonate vermiculate lines Northeastern Kentucky Allegheny formation of the Obryan Member
Orthoquartzite   Varies Kentucky  
Paoli Chert
AKA: Carter Cave Chert
  Translucent and ranges in color from yellow to tan, red, and orange.  Rarely green and blue are present Northwestern Kentucky Paoli Limestone formation
Poteet Chert Ranges from a dark olive gray to olive black. Southeastern Kentucky Poteet Limestone Formation
Quartz   Milky white with thin veins
Kentucky  
Quartzite   Varies from white to gray, or pink and tan in color Kentucky  
Ramp Creek Chert   Extreme north central Kentucky Ramp Creek Limestone Member, Muldraugh Formation
Rhyolite   Gray to grayish black, flow banding may be present alternating from light to darker gray Kentucky  
Salem Chert Ranges from a dull brown to gray Northwestern Kentucky Salem Formation
Sonora Flint
AKA for Wyandotte Chert
  Vibrant colorful flint that may range from tans to light gray-blue and dark brown to purples Kentucky Ste. Genevieve Limestone formation
St. Louis Green Chert
AKA: St. Louis Formation Chert
Varying shades from light gray green to yellow green Western to central Kentucky St. Louis formation
Ste. Genevieve Chert  Ranges from light to medium blue, gray, and black, to olive gray and yellowish gray with gray concentric bands commonly present  Western Kentucky Ste. Genevieve Limestone formation
Tyrone Chert
AKA: Crab Orchard Chert
Two tone or stripped colors Eastern to central Kentucky Tyrone Group
Ullin Chert brownish gray color Northwestern Kentucky Ullin Formation
Vienna Chert Ranges from a deep bluish black to a light grayish tan or pinkish Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana Vienna Formation
Wayne County Chert
AKA: Kentucky Blue and White Chert
Off white to light tan with white and blue South central Kentucky  
West Franklin Chert Ranges from a light gray to light bluish gray.  Commonly mottled with blue and with light brown streaks and chalky vugs Northwestern Kentucky  
Wyandotte Chert
AKA: Indiana Hornstone, Harrison County Chert
  Ranges in color from a medium bluefish gray to a medium light gray.  Banding is common and is various shades of gray Western Kentucky Fredonia Member of the Ste. Genevieve Limestone formation